Young challenge loneliness.com

Beneath the surface of the vast encyclopaedia that is the internet lurks dark challenges that are drawing young people into deadly games like Momo, Kiki and Tide Pod.
Young challenge loneliness.com

Beneath the surface of the vast encyclopaedia that is the internet lurks dark challenges that are drawing young people into deadly games like Momo, Kiki and Tide Pod. Early this month, 25-year-old Umakant Behera from Cuttack hanged himself after playing the fatal WhatsApp game that asks vulnerable youngsters to complete a series of tasks that leads to suicide. “Such individuals have impulse control disorder.

They look for an adrenaline rush that could lead to self-injuries without looking at the consequences,” says Dr Keerthi Pai, clinical psychologist, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. Adds Dr Sameer Malhotra, director, Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Max Hospitals, Delhi: “Depression, loneliness, substance use and a disturbed family environment make them more vulnerable to online threats.” Ever since Blue Whale victimology last year sent out Code Red to parents, concern over challenge games has peaked. Says Nidhi Pramod, mother of teenagers Rehaan and Vivaan who spent most of their waking hours on their cell phones: “I was perturbed by their Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) gaming addiction. What starts with a simple gaming can go a bit too far.”  

Indeed. Games like Kiki Challenge appeal to the risk-taking, fatalistic side of people who suddenly get out of their vehicles and start dancing in the middle of traffic. These are posted on Instagram and YouTube, garnering thousands of hits. Instagram is the new fame; the social influencer that is upending Facebook as the only place to be, learn and communicate.“Social media meets the immediate need for gratification,” explains Dr Pai.

Never before has social media polarised youth so much, creating an isolation epidemic across countries. Accessibility to mobile phones binds new communities together, bringing the comfort of acceptance and belonging from strangers who become friends or mentors. The addiction starts with curiosity, followed by getting trapped by the manipulators into finishing an escalating series of tasks. By then the player is too involved socially and psychologically, afraid to share the details with parents or peers. Then there is no coming back.

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