'Blue Whale Challenge' Returns: Warning Issued as Suicide App on Rise Again
The infamous "Blue Whale Challenge" is making a comeback as fears of teen and pre-teen suicides are once again on the rise. The app made headlines in the country after it was revealed that its progressively more serious "assignments" culminate in encouraging users to commit suicide.
Earlier reports claim that the app began through a YouTube video where an anonymous instructor begins giving assignments. These 50 tasks start from the mundane like watching a scary movie and escalating drastically to include inflicting self-harm.
Those who reach the 50th assignment are then told to kill themselves in order to complete the instructor's assignments. The app has been spreading to social media sites like Instagram, SnapChat and YouTube as well as through texting.
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The most sinister aspect of the app is that it targets young, impressionable kids. While the "game" itself was started on YouTube, several downloadable apps have been made to further its reach. Some app versions of the "Blue Whale Challenge" were available on Google Play, with reviewers dubbing it the "suicide app."
One town in Massachusetts already issued a warning regarding the sinister "game." Natick, Mass. Superintendent Peter Sanchioni has already spoken to parents to raise awareness and protect their children from such harmful content.
So far, no reports of such incidents have been recorded in the United States. Russian authorities have already began to crack down on the people who are promoting the games to young, often desperate teens. So far, two arrests have been made in the Eastern European country with possibly more to follow.
Fortunately, efforts to shut down the game's influence appear to be working. While there are still large amounts of social media chatter regarding the "Blue Whale Challenge," most of them are warning about the app rather than promoting its use.
