Blue Whale: A suicide game

A Presentation on the blue whale suicide game.

1. Blue Whale:

2. INTRODUCTION The Blue Whale Game also called "Blue Whale Challenge", is an Internet "game" that is claimed to exist in several countries. The term "Blue Whale" comes from the phenomenon of beached whales, which is linked to suicide. The game allegedly consists of a series of tasks, some of which involve self-mutilation, assigned to players by “administrators” during a 50-day period, with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide. The list of tasks, to be completed in 50 days, includes waking up at 4:20 A.M., climbing a crane, carving a specific phrase on the person’s own hand or arm, doing secret tasks, poking a needle to the arm or leg, standing on a bridge and roof, listening to eerie music, and watching horror videos sent to the challengers by the administrator.

3. ORIGIN The Blue Whale challenge began in Russia in 2013 with "F57", one of the names of the so-called "death group" of the popular Russian social media site, VKontakte , or VK for short, and allegedly caused its first suicide in 2015. It is said to have been created by Russian national, Philipp Budeikin . Arrested in May 2017, the 21-year-old allegedly admitted to inciting 16 schoolgirls to take their own lives. In his confession, he apparently declared that his aim was to rid the world of 'biological waste' and said he was 'cleansing society' by goading those who were 'happy to die’. The game is believed to have since incited 150 suicides across Russia, the US, the UK, Italy, Brazil, Argentina and Portugal.

4. 50 Tasks in This Game

5. SUICIDE SPREE IN INDIA July 26, 2017 A 16-year old boy from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Manoj was found dead in his room. He had hanged himself. In the months leading up to his suicide, he had spoken to his mother about the Blue Whale Challenge, and also displayed signs of self-harm. July 29, 2017 The death of a 14-year-old boy, Manpreet, who apparently jumped off the terrace of his apartment building in Andheri, Mumbai, raised concerns about the ‘game’. The police are following up on his social media activity. August 10, 2017 A student from Class 7 tried to jump off the third floor of his school building in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, allegedly to complete an online suicide dare. He was saved in the nick of time by the school’s PT coach. August 12, 2017 A 15-year-old child Ankan, was found dead in the bathroom of his home in west Midnapore, West Bengal. He had choked himself. August 27, 2017 A 13-year-old class VI student in the town of Maudaha, Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh, hung himself, after playing the Blue Whale game.

6. Top 10 Cities Of India With Highest No. Of Blue Whale Challenge Searches

7. Tell Tale Signs Feelings of loneliness or isolation Withdrawal from favourite activities Non-communicative behaviour Addiction to social media Disturbed eating and sleeping habits Irritability Aggression Lethargy Sluggishness Tiredness

8. Prevention MONITOR If you’re giving your child a smartphone, install parental control apps or safety apps which allows online activity to be monitored. SET RULES Children should be taught to take responsibility for their online behaviour. Just as they are taught to be safe in the real world, cyber security can be discussed as well MODERATE USE Spending more than 5 hours at a computer or on a smartphone is considered addict-level behaviour. BE AWARE Keep an eye open for indications of self-harm. Children might dress in a way that hides such wounds.

9. Deadly Games on the Net The Ice And Salt Challenge A social media challenge that involves players applying salt to their skin and following it up with ice, causing frostbite - like burns The Deodorant Challenge Another self-harm game that has players competing to see who can bear the pain of a chemical burn the longest-by spraying aerosol cans as close to the skin as possible. The Choking Game Aimed at inducing a ‘high’ by restricting the oxygen supply to the brain, this game is believed to have claimed several lives in the UK and US. The Pass Out Challenge Taking the ‘choking game’ one step further, this challenge involves players strangling themselves until they fall unconscious.

10. Source India Today: Secret Life of Suicide Games (Sept 4 th Edition). Wikipedia: Blue Whale (Game) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Whale_(game) . Hindustan Times. Times of India. WhatsApp & Facebook.

11. Presented By: Kritika Dhiman Madhav Khandelwal Surya Bahadur Kumal