The Blue Whale Challenge, which is a very dangerous online suicide “game,” is becoming more and more popular among vulnerable teenagers worldwide. According to “The Sun,” a popular British newspaper, Russian police are investigating the Blue Whale Challenge because they believe it is linked to many teenage suicides in the country.
What is it?
According to "The Sun," authorities in many countries believe that The Blue Whale Challenge is a group that operates in various social media preying on vulnerable teenagers. Their sole purpose is to confuse, pressure them emotionally and manipulate them to commit suicide.
In fact, according to “The Sun,” there are hundreds of thousands of posts on Instagram that are related to this group. Some reports even say that many teenagers who are members of this group are threatened that if they do not Commit Suicide, their families will be harmed.
It is believed that as soon as a teenager is approved to become a member of this twisted group, an administrator will give them a daily challenge to perform for 50 days. In the beginning the challenges are simple like waking up at strange hours and watching horror films. However, as days pass, the challenges become more extreme as teenagers are asked to do things like carving a blue whale on their arm. The 50th challenge is to kill themselves.
The real objectives of its creators
The man who started the online suicide “games” is believed to be Philipp Budeikin who is the creator of the F57 suicide games on VKontakte, a Russian social media network. The same man is believed to be behind the Blue Whale Challenge too. In an interview given to Russian media, Philipp Budeikin said that he created these groups in order to “cleanse society,” however his main motive is believed to be profit since these groups get a lot of publicity and traffic on their sites.
It all started in 2013 when a Russian teenager named Rina Palenkova posted a selfie on VK.com and shortly after killed herself. Unfortunately, this macabre “fashion” has already spread to the US and the UK, where authorities are already informing the public about its dangers, as well as to many other countries worldwide.
The seriousness of the situation
This is a very dangerous phenomenon. It may have started in Russia but it is now spreading rapidly all over the world. Reports say that it has already reached the US and the UK. Parents should be alert in order to notice any strange behavior of their children. Teenagers should be able to confidently say no to friends who may suggest that they join such a group. However, the best defense is to be well informed about the dangers and the real objectives of such groups. Teenagers who know and understand that these groups only want to profit from their deaths, are less likely to join them.
