An online game devised in Russia is reportedly convincing kids to sign up for challenges of self harm, leading to a final challenge in which they kill themselves online.
The game, known as the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ is thought to have been created in 2013 by a group of individuals on the VK Social Networking Site. This ‘death-group’ are allegedly responsible for the first death in 2015. The game’s self-proclaimed inventor, a former psychology student, Philipp Budeikin declared that he devised it as a way of cleaning society of those that he deemed to have no value to improve it. Since then, it appears to have grown in enormity with deaths and hospitalizations, associated with the game, creating panic in Russia and now it appears to be rearing its ugly head worldwide.
![Blue Whale Challenge: Over 150 Teens Have Died Or Commited Suicide]()
How It Works:
The structure behind the game is that challengers or participants are governed by an administrator who sets them tasks over 50 days. Some of these tasks include self harm, being told to wake up at 4am for a number of days, climbing buildings, forced to watch graphic horrors and on the final day, committing suicide online.
Video
Blue Whale Challenge teen Isaiah Gonzales commits suicide online playing the game originating from Russia:
Children as young as 12 are reportedly taking part in this.This is a problem that parents, schools and anyone working with children need to be made aware of to prevent any further incidents.
With the growing number of children who have access to a smart phone, laptop or tablet, internet safety really needs to be addressed, along with better parental restrictions across many social media platforms.
The game, known as the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ is thought to have been created in 2013 by a group of individuals on the VK Social Networking Site. This ‘death-group’ are allegedly responsible for the first death in 2015. The game’s self-proclaimed inventor, a former psychology student, Philipp Budeikin declared that he devised it as a way of cleaning society of those that he deemed to have no value to improve it. Since then, it appears to have grown in enormity with deaths and hospitalizations, associated with the game, creating panic in Russia and now it appears to be rearing its ugly head worldwide.
How It Works:
The structure behind the game is that challengers or participants are governed by an administrator who sets them tasks over 50 days. Some of these tasks include self harm, being told to wake up at 4am for a number of days, climbing buildings, forced to watch graphic horrors and on the final day, committing suicide online.
Blue Whale Challenge teen Isaiah Gonzales commits suicide online playing the game originating from Russia:
Children as young as 12 are reportedly taking part in this.This is a problem that parents, schools and anyone working with children need to be made aware of to prevent any further incidents.
With the growing number of children who have access to a smart phone, laptop or tablet, internet safety really needs to be addressed, along with better parental restrictions across many social media platforms.