Blue Whale Challenge is a deadly and sinister game that has reportedly claimed the lives of a hundred of teenagers across the world. A couple of days back media reported another teenage suicide in the city of Panchkula, Haryana linked to Blue Whale. His last words, “‘I should just die, I don’t deserve to live’, ‘no one like me..” are chilling to say the least.
Over hundred deaths have been reported and attributed to the Blue Whale Challenge and other outrageous challenges like the – Choking Challenge, Ghost Pepper Challenge, Ice and Salt Challenge and Cinnamon Challenge etc. How many such incidents will it take for parents to realize that the dangers of social media and mobile gaming are real? Media reports and schools issuing warnings about the “Blue Whale Challenge” has for some reason not deterred parents from casually handing over the mobile phones to young children without supervision or guidance. The recent Blue Whale Challenge substantiates the fact that we cannot allow children to use social media without supervision and abundant caution.
This game is characteristically different from the numerous games that inhabit the cyber world. It is neither downloadable nor is it a software or an application.
Developed by 22-year-old Phillipp Budeikin, a Russian Psychology student, the Blue Whale killer challenge is supposedly a game to ‘clean’ the society of people who are worthless and hence have no right to live. Budeikin said as much when he was expelled from his university for propagating this game. The name Blue Whale was selected as these mammals’ occasionally go out of the water and beach themselves intentionally to die.
The challenge was conceptualized back in 2013. From the beginning, children have been the targets of this game. The administrator would draw children into social media groups by using “mega-scary” videos and then those who were most susceptible to psychological manipulation were given a set of tasks or challenges varying from watching a scary movie at 4.20 a.m. to cutting one’s veins to standing on a roof top and others. Almost all tasks were horrifying in nature, and not all fell prey to these challenges. Rather most left the group when the challenges became more dangerous. However, those who did stay back, eventually succumbed to the final challenge – to commit suicide.
The game of course evolved with time. As best known to us, the game has a set of 50 challenges that instruct players to inflict harm on them. The degree of difficulty increases with each challenge. Since the game is not downloadable, it is difficult to find and track it. Players do not choose to play it, rather the creators seek out players and send them an invitation to join the group.
The online administrator allows the participants a single task each day over a period of 50 days and monitors the player closely. After every task is completed, the participant has to provide photo evidence so that they become eligible for the next task. With each task, the degree of difficulty and associated monstrosity increases ominously. The participant gets mentally attuned to the prospect of committing suicide in the last task, by going through the initial tasks step by step.
The set of 50 tasks assigned by the administrator does not follow a routine pattern. They are adaptable and can vary based on the age, sex and geographical location of the player.
After each task is completed, the administrators judge whether the proof provided by the participant regarding successful completion of the task is actually authentic. If a participant fakes the outcome of the task, like sending photo-shopped images, the chances are that the deception will be detected and the consequence could be anything from severance of contact to more dire threats.
It is unlikely that the administrators of the game can be found or the game can be downloaded. It is the other way around; the administrators seek out the participants scouring the social media sites and choosing those who seem to be depressed or exhibit other vulnerable psychological traits which make them the perfect “victim” for this game. Presently, the creator of this game is being held in a prison in Russia under charges for inciting school children to commit suicide.
It is difficult to keep track of sinister challenges which sprout up sporadically over the web. However, on our part we can educate our children about using the Internet, caution them on the dangers of social media and equip them with necessary knowledge to help them deal with such situations adequately. There are a number of resources online for parents to learn about cyber safety for kids. In fact, UNICEF recently issued guidelines on how to keep children safe in the online world. In addition to those, here are some 7 simple guidelines for parents to help keep children safe and be a good digital citizen:
Most of the communication between entities on the net are faceless and in many cases, this can be a cloak for the cyber bullies while inflicting mental trauma on the victim. Therefore, the parental adage “don’t talk to strangers” applies in the online world too.
Let us teach our children to not “friend” or “follow” unknown people, accept invites to games or join group/s on Facebook or any other social media channel including WhatsApp groups (if they have their own personal handset and number) and simply to ask them to NOT speak to strangers online or offline and consult with parents should they feel someone unknown is attempting to reach out to them with favors or unsolicited invites.
So, think again – In the real world, we don’t allow our children to gallivant around the city on their own or walk into a dance club or a lounge bar because they are too young or not old enough to handle the risks and dangers of the real world. The same holds true for the online world.
It is not necessary to allow children to use social media because they want to or are “old enough” are per social media rules. There is no law that defines the appropriate age for a child to use social media. You are the only and the best judge. Don’t decide on the parameter of age but the child’s cognitive ability to consume and process such varied information. Also, take time to familiarize yourself with the platform, learn about security and privacy and then when your child is ready – show them how to use it responsibly.
And finally,
Education begins at home
Phillipp Budeikin (the creator and curator of the Blue Whale Challenge) was reported saying that he was offering warmth, understanding and consideration to the players. He is obviously pointing out to the school going children who have been the victims of his sordid game. This highlights something quite serious. We need to introspect that are we substituting our personal time with mobile phones? Are our children missing that parental companionship and the joy and warmth of bonding? Technology is certainly not a replacement for love and attention that a parent can give one-on-one to the child. Invest time in learning about netiquette yourself and educate them to be responsible and good digital citizens.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NEWSD and NEWSD does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.