The killer whale is on the loose, claiming hundreds of young lives this time. This Thursday, several members of Rajya Sabha gathered in the house to express their concern regarding the deadly Blue Whale: a game that encouraged many youngsters to break laws, commit the unthinkable and even end their lives. The matter came to public attention in India with the suicide of a boy named Manpreet Singh.
The 14-year-old jumped off the terrace of a 7-storey apartment building in Andheri East, Mumbai on Saturday. Before his death, he was playing the deadly challenge for 50 days. The victim allegedly was the first victim in the fast-expanding blue whale network.
For those who’re unfamiliar, here’s all that you need to know about the deadly Blue Whale challenge.
Facts About Blue Whale Game: This Online Russian Challenge will Kill You!
- A psychology student named Philipp Budeikin from Russia invented the psychopathic game after the university administration threw him out. According to the game developer, he wanted to weed out the society by encouraging idle, valueless people to commit suicide.
- The game encourages youngsters to commit atrocious acts, such as scraping out their skin with a knife and posting photographs as proof.
- The game started on a social networking website called Vkontakte in Russia, four years back. It allegedly led to the first suicide in 2015.
- The game lays out a fatal challenge for the participants. The players have to watch psychic and horror movies, carve a tattoo of a blue whale on their hands with needles and blades. Towards the last stage, the players go on to commit suicide.
- Until today, around 130 players from different countries, including Italy, England, US, and Russia have ended their lives in this game.
- Just recently, the Russian police arrested postman Ilya Sidorov (26), the chief mastermind behind this game. He allegedly encouraged violent, self-destructive behavior in teenagers.
- The troubling fact is that despite Blue Whale getting worldwide attention, the government didn’t ban Vkontakte and other social networks supporting such violent games. You can easily create a Vkontakte account and join the #bluewhale network to find spooky and depressing stuff related to the game.
- Psychologist Pulkit Sharma says that various governments need to immediately ban this game all over the country. Teens, kids, and patients with depression shouldn’t participate in such games because of their fragile minds. The game concept adversely affects their mind. It works in the case of a depressed person because they find the idea of ending their lives very realistic. Such people feel that suicide is the best, most logical way out from their problems. Therefore, exposure to this game is extremely dangerous for kids and depression patients.
The Indian Parliament, keeping these facts in mind, move the House to impose an immediate ban on Blue Whale wave in India. It’s not just the government, but parents too, who need to keep tabs on their kids’ online activities to prevent such incidents in future.
