Parenting Guide

'Blue Whale': A new online suicide game targeting teens

Published by SchoolAdvisor | May 11, 2017

 The Blue Whale Challenge, or Blue Whale Game, is a 50-day challenge that encourages students to self-harm, ending in suicide.

The game's title comes from the massive marine animals, which some people believe strand themselves on beaches as suicide attempts. A Blue Whale Challenge app is reportedly available for students to download, but has been removed from Apple's iOS store and the Google Play store. Participants can even tag one another on social media networks like Snapchat and invite others to play.

The game is believed to have originated in Russia and is linked to at least 130 deaths. The game can be downloaded onto a computer or smartphone and the user is then presented with daily tasks by an assigned administrator. The challenges are dangerous and sinister, with users encouraged to kill themselves on the 50th and final day.

How does the game work?

The game is downloaded and once the user has signed in then, a group administrator assigns daily tasks which have to be completed over 50 days. The horrific tasks include self-harming, watching horror movies, and waking up at odd hours. The challenges gradually become more extreme and on the 50th and final day the user is encouraged to commit suicide. According to social media analyst Yavi Madurai, the app cannot be deleted once it has been installed. The player has to show the curator a video or photographic proof of completion before they are given the next task.

An undercover journalist from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty posed as a 15-year-old girl managed to contact a so-called curator of the Blue Whale Challenge. The curator told her "there is no way back", and that she cannot leave the game once it begins.

"If you die, you win. If you don't, we will help you. Are you ready?" another curator told her.

Teenagers are vulnerable targets as they are attracted to games. They might be interested in the game because it is viral and want the challenge that comes with the game, that's one thing parents need to be aware about.

While this may seem unimaginable, the trend has been reported across the globe. Two Russian teenagers, who are possible victims, jumped from a fourteen storey building. One of the teens, Yulia Konstantinova, apparently posted a picture of a blue whale on Instagram and left a note saying "end" on her social media page. A Russian newspaper apparently linked 130 teen suicides to Blue Whale. However, according to fact-checking site Snopes, there's no proof that the game is directly responsible for the suicides.

 Two school girls Yulia Konstantinova (right), 15, and Veronika Volkova (left), 16, commited suicide together

There have now been reported cases in several parts of Europe, South America and more recently in Kenya where the game has apparently been banned.

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However, there are no signs of the Blue Whale Challenge in Malaysia yet but parents should remain vigilant to ensure their children do not fall victim to it. According to Befrienders publicity director Ardy Ayadali, they have not received reports of the game being played in Malaysia.

Ardy advised parents to monitor their children's online activities and look for physical signs of self-harm.

"It is important for parents to talk to kids about the dangers of the Blue Whale Challenge and other ways that they (their children) might be tempted to give in to the game, especially due to peer pressure," he said. He also encouraged the community to spread awareness on the dangerous game.