WARNING – DISRUPTIONARY CONTENT: Police have issued a stern warning about ‘Blue Whale’, a suicide game that began targeting teenagers in Russia and may now be spreading worldwide.
Blue Whale reportedly targets players between the ages of 10 and 14, and forces them to complete a series of painful, mundane tasks, including waking up in the middle of the night, carving shapes into their skin, and thinking about death.
As the game progresses over the course of several weeks, participants reach the final challenge: suicide.
The game, which has become popular online among teenagers, has drawn warnings from police in Europe, Russia, Central Asia and the Americas.
Authorities are investigating the game and hope to shut it down before it spreads to other countries. Source: Global News
Concerns were further heightened after an 18-year-old Ukrainian girl threw herself onto the train tracks from a bridge in Portugal earlier this month.
She amazingly survived the fall, despite breaking her leg.
“During the final 10 days, players must wake up at designated early morning hours, listen to music and think about death,” cybercrime expert Robert Mager told Bloomberg.
“Those who get scared and try to quit the game often receive death threats against their parents.”
There have been unconfirmed reports of children falling into this trap from Russia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and now from Curitiba, Brazil.
“The expansion of internet connectivity and social media has created new opportunities for suicide pacts,” Mugar said.
“Suicide practices are moving online and young people may be acting alone or as part of a wider group.”
There have been no reports of blue whales in Australia, but authorities around the world have called for the game to be stopped before it spreads across Australia.
Parents are being urged to look out for warning signs among vulnerable children and teens.
The “game” apparently asks players to commit suicide as a final act. Source: Global News
From cinnamon and duct tape challenges to deadly choking games, online challenges encouraging or encouraging teens to engage in risky behavior are nothing new.
This includes reports of suicides such as that of an 11-year-old boy who later committed suicide after learning through a text message that his 13-year-old girlfriend had committed suicide, which turned out to be a cruel social media hoax.
In 2008, an alleged internet “cult” drove seven teenage friends to suicide in a small town in England.
If you are worried about your own or a loved one’s mental health, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Men’s Line on 1300 789 978 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 for support and information.