Suicide on social media

Mumbai police is in a tizzy over a teeger’s suicide on Sunday, which appears to be the country’s first case of death linked to the social media challenge called ‘Blue Whale’. Before the boy took the fatal jump from his 7-floor building’s terrace, he kept telling friends on social media about what he intended to do and even posted a photo while sitting on the parapet with legs hanging downwards. His family had noted his strange behaviour since last week, but had no idea that he was addicted to ‘Blue Whale’ — a sinister video game believed to have origited in Russia. The game’s shadowy administrators give players a series of 50 ‘quests’— tasks like seeing a horror movie late at night and writing on the body with sharp objects — with the fil task being to commit suicide while ensuring its documentation with photograph or video. Blue Whale Challenge has already spread to several countries and claimed the lives of hundreds of teegers, with around 130 suicides attributed to it in Russia alone. Its creator was arrested by Russian police earlier this year, but its manipulators are still out there lurking in the dark recesses of cyber world, beckoning and brainwashing susceptible youths to their doom. Advisories are now being issued to parents to beware of their childrens’ mobile phones and other devices that allows them access to Blue Whale Challenge and other dangerous programmes. It primarily boils down to youths handling peer pressure with confidence, intelligence and tact, as well as to parents in staying aware and keeping all channels of communication open.