Blue Whale online suicide challenge - Mumbai boy commits suicide

A 14-year-old boy from Mumbai committed suicide while playing the Blue Whale challenge, an online game that is giving many parents sleepless nights. Find out what it is.

The Blue Whale game has claimed its first victim in India --14-year-old Manpreet Singh jumped off the terrace of a 7-storey building allegedly to complete the Blue Whale game. Blue Whale is a game targeted at young children and preteens. The game is a set of 50 challenges that the player needs to complete, the last challenge being committing suicide. Yes, you read it right. There is a game as sinister as this and, reportedly, children world over are falling prey.

How this game works is that it lures a child to download the game onto their mobile phone or tablet. Once downloaded, the game hacks the gadget, accessing all the data stored therein and cannot be deleted. Then it sets the player for a set of challenges to be accomplished within a 50-day period. The player has to accomplish each challenge and upload a picture for the game admins to see and approve. The challenges range from watching horror movies alone to cutting the shape of a whale on their body. Once the player completes each challenge, the final challenge is to commit suicide.

There are a number of Whatsapp forwards and news reports warning parents about this sinister game and urging them to keep a track of their child's online activities. There can't be enough reinforcements about how important it is to teach and ensure your child's safety online.

Is your child playing this game??

Image: Twitter