13 REASONS WHY BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE IS NOT THE PROBLEM
As horrific as it is, a 14-year-old killing himself is not impossible, or even improbable. It is happening, and the task at hand is to understand how to prevent it, not badmouth the dead kid.
That said, let's talk about the Blue Whale Challenge.
It is an online challenge that lays down a total of 50 tasks before whoever chooses to play it. These tasks count down from psychologically twisted games to self-inflicted wounds, and ultimately, to suicide.
Now, the most obvious question: Why would someone take up a challenge that asks them to commit suicide?
When a 16-year-old was casually asked this, his response was, "Why not?"
This disturbing counter question shows that the trouble here does not lie with the game. The Blue Whale Challenge is just the creature lurking on the surface; the real monster swims in the darkness surrounding our school-going generation.
Focusing on the bigger picture, here are a few things we must worry about before and beyond the Blue Whale Challenge:
1. TEMPTATION: The forbidden fruit is there. But even if it is removed, the temptation to have it is the bigger trouble. That is Problem Number One.
The nagging interest to take up a challenge that is riddled with you harming yourself, the compulsion to click on the Sign Up option, that is a greater devil than the game itself.
2. SELF-DESTRUCTION IS APPEALING: An online challenge that is harmful, painful, and clearly a wrong thing to do, is appealing to young people. That is the reality, just like kids picking up at school the disturbing practice of cutting.
This distorted attraction to self-harm is a major problem.
3. AUDIENCE: The kids playing this 'game' are not hurting themselves in solitude, but with someone watching them. They are sharing pictures of their bleeding skin, of them sitting on the edge of a building with someone interested.
Isn't it possible that it is the presence of an audience that is drawing people to the Blue Whale Challenge?
4. ATTENTION - PART 1: A person could be taking the Blue Whale Challenge out of curiousity, or under peer pressure, or simply out of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). But at the end of the day, truth is that they are taking it by choice.
But why? The existence of an audience raises the question of attention. Is it the lack of attention from near ones that makes the attention from a stranger -- a Blue Whale curator who is open to a conversation about the dark thoughts in your mind -- appealing?
5. ATTENTION - PART 2: Speaking of attention, a number of the tasks on the Blue Whale Challenge spin around self-inflicted wounds, ranging from slits to the full-blown carving of a blue whale on the body.
Granted, these wounds can be easily hidden under sleeves and trousers, but the pain will still be there. It should not be easy to miss a person walking around with multiple raw wounds.
Considering we are dealing with such horrid 'games' now, we have to be more attentive toward adolescents.
6. MANIPULATION: An adolescent or a teenager is likely to be easily influenced. Peer pressure, temptation, and (of course) social media nudge young people to fall into habits that they shouldn't. This is why a psychotic person finds it easier to target and manipulate kids of this age group than adults.
Ergo, the first thing to do should be opening a dialogue with kids, and discouraging them from taking candies like the Blue Whale Challenge from strangers.
7. DEPRESSION: Parents continue to grapple with the possibility that their kids can suffer from depression. That, coupled with the lack of psychological help, pushes young people to look elsewhere.
Blue Whale creator Philipp Budeikin is of the opinion that he gave victims "warmth", "understanding" and "contact". As full of nonsense as that man is, it is not impossible to consider that kids dealing with mental distresses would be more drawn to such challenges than anyone else.
Talk to them.
8. ADVENTURE: Why are teenagers drawn to the idea of obeying a stranger who is egging them on to hurt themselves?
Simple. Dare.
It is at around this age that experimenting with daredevil stunts and dangerous practices is considered 'cool'. Hence, surely, some players join the Blue Whale Challenge as a show of strength, and for the adventure...to prove that they are too strong to be broken.
Unfortunately, this sense of 'valiance' is a fear factor parents should look out for.
9. THREATS: The Blue Whale Challenge begins with free will, but soon, the curator becomes a bully. Reports show that curators threaten to hurt the players if they show reluctance in continuing with the challenge.
Problem is, threats and bullying are not practices that will end with the Blue Whale Challenge. Your child can be threatened into hurting him/herself outside the internet as well.
This problem is near impossible to resolve, and the best we can do is make it easier for children to seek help in such situations, instead of giving into such bullying.
10. STOP SLAMMING SUICIDE: Yes, you read that right. Just as telling someone that killing themselves "is okay" is horrid, accusing a suicidal person of being stupid is as terrible.
By trash-talking about suicide, we create an atmosphere where talking about suicidal tendencies is considered cowardly and weak.
Hence, we push a person in need of sane help toward distorted sources of 'comfort', like drug use, alcoholism, and games like the Blue Whale Challenge.
11. COMFORT WITH VIOLENCE: Kids these days enjoy playing online games where they get to blow up things and gun down virtual people. Without probably understanding, they get comfortable with the idea of violence with these games.
While there is no parallel between games that consist of gore and the Blue Whale Challenge, the sense of destruction and violence is common.
In order to keep kids away from self-harm, shouldn't we begin with keeping them from virtually killing people for fun?
12. THIS IS A HYDRA: The Blue Whale is not alone. There are tonnes of other suicide games/chains: F57, Wake Me Up at 4.20 am, etc.
Getting rid of one game will not slay the monster. It will simply pop up with another name, another head. How many will you ban, how many will you chop?
The problem lies with the creation, and even the demand for such online challenges.
13. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE TRIGGERS: Some feel Netflix show Thirteen Reasons Why "glamourised suicide". This argument is misleading and made without understanding the message the original book tries to send.
Having said that, it is true that TV shows, movies, books, and even songs have different sorts of impact on different people. What makes one happy can trigger bad memories and grief for someone else.
Same goes for depression or suicide. There will always be triggers, and it will not end with the end of the Blue Whale Challenge. We have to teach our kids to deal with this crisis better.
"To anybody looking for help or considering joining the Blue Whale Challenge, we urge you to talk to someone. As for the internet and online games, you can do much better than this stinking fish."