HYDERABAD: Stating that school and college managements must take measures to educate students asking them not to take up Blue Whale Challenges, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), CCS, Avinash Mohanty said that there is no single incident of Blue Whale challenges in the city so far.
Stating that the Blue Whale phenomenon was not a game but a challenge where teenagers were targeted and invited to take up dares by administrators on social media, Hyderabad police on Friday released an advisory for parents, educational institutes and children.
What is Blue Whale Challenge?
The people taking up the invitation are given different tasks over a period of 50 days. The game starts from trivial things like watching a horror movie, listening to a music etc. Slowly as the step progresses, the tasks became gruesome where players are instructed to self-mutilation and self-harm.
This includes pricking needles into arms, cutting veins and mutilating body parts. The last challenge is reportedly to attempt suicide.
Blue Whale is not a freely downloadable game, application or software. Children cannot access it on their smart phones through app stores or on social media platforms like Facebook. It is shared among secretive groups on social media networks. The creators seek out their players/victims and send them an invitation to join.
What parents & elders must do, according to police:
Parents should look at the matter with utmost seriousness. The only thing that can protect them from being attracted to such life-threatening phenomenon is your bonding, conversations and the time you spent together. Always ensure that your child accesses internet from a computer placed in a family space.
Maintain access to your children’s accounts and ensure that there are no secrets. Download parent control apps to monitor internet usage and track their activity.Check your children’s Facebook, WhatsApp and snapchat accounts and see their activity for any trace of discussion about the Blue whale challenge.
Check their search history to understand what they are browsing to understand their state of mind. Teach kids not to share their personal information on the internet.If any parent noticed that child is already taking up the Blue Whale Challenge, immediately stop him/her from using the internet from any devices and report to the Cyber Crime police for taking action.
Help children to understand that strangers in real life are no different from strangers on internet. In fact it is easier to camouflage one’s identity on the net. Pay attention when children are playing online games and report when any suspicious activity is observed Avinash Mohanty, DCP, CCS