A new game is believed to have caused the death of a teenage boy from Texas. The parents of the deceased released a statement hoping to warn others regarding the dangers of the “Blue Whale challenge” that target children and teens.
According to the boy’s father, Jorge Gonzales, his son Isaiah Gonzales did not show any signs that he was planning to end his life. Isaiah was his usual self before he died. The game consists of a series of dares. For Isaiah, Jorge believed that the last dare was for him to hang himself and broadcast it online. They found the teenager hanging in a bedroom closet and found a phone that was streaming his suicide.
What is the “Blue Whale Challenge”
The “Blue Whale Challenge” is a game wherein strangers contact people through chat or via messaging apps. According to Click 2 Houston, the administrator of the game threatens to harm the player’s family if the dare is not completed as these strangers were able to gather vital information about the player's relatives. There are other tasks to do in the “Blue Whale Challenge” but the final dare is to commit suicide.
Reports said that the challenge exists in different countries but it is unknown where exactly it originated from.
Isaiah told siblings about challenge
Jorge said after they found Isaiah dead, they asked the siblings of the teen if they knew anything about the challenge.
They said that their brother told them about it but he claimed he would never take part in any of the challenges. It is unclear if Isaiah knew about it through his friends or read about it online.
Father wants other parents to go through kids’ phones
Jorge warned other parents about the dangers of what kids could come across online.
He said that parents should go through their kids’ phones and check their social media accounts. The “Blue Whale Challenge” lasts for 50 days and administrators tell players to complete dares like cutting images into their flesh, taking photos in dangerous places (such as on train tracks), and watching scary movie clips.
They went through their son’s phone after his death and saw that he sent photos of him completing the tasks to his friends.
Some of the tasks he did were drinking bleach and listening to strange music. His sister said that her brother's friends thought the dares were just a joke, but they could have prevented his death if any of them told the family about the challenge.
On Instagram, some have used the hashtag citing the name of the challenge and posted photos of some of the tasks they completed. It is unclear how many have died from completing the final task of the game.
People also reported that in Russia, the “Blue Whale Challenge” became so popular that it reportedly claimed the lives of around 130 teens. This figure, however, is not supported by other reports.
Georgia teen also committed suicide
A mother from Georgia claimed earlier this week that her daughter, 16-years-old, killed herself due to a challenge. However, CBS News reported that it was unclear if the mother was referring to the “Blue Whale Challenge” because little details were provided regarding that report.
