Dangers of the “Blue Whale” app, Hoax or Reality?

The Blue Whale Challenge, or Blue Whale Game, is a 50-day challenge that encourages students to self-harm, ending in suicide.  The game’s title comes from the massive marine animals, which some people believe strand themselves on beaches as a way to commit suicide.  A Blue Whale Challenge app was reportedly available for students to download, but has been removed from Apple’s iOS store and the Google Play store as of press time.

Participants can even tag one another on social media networks like Snapchat and invite others to play.

Is the Blue Whale App a whale of a tale or is it true?
The internet is buzzing about a game, app, or challenge called Blue Whale. This app apparently encourages children over 50 days to do self-harm (like cutting) and then the game concludes with suicide.  According to Snopes this story is unproven. Yet, within the Snopes article there does appear to be a link between Blue Whale and suicides in Russia and Central Asia.

Whether or not Blue Whale is just a tale perhaps doesn’t matter, What matters is our kids– their lives, their mental health.
Perhaps this is an opportunity, a splash of cold water to wake us up. Parents, we need to talk about depression with our young people.

WHAT IT DOES
The app brainwashes children by throwing them 50 challenges over a period of 50 days, which include self-mutilation, waking up at unearthly hours and watching scary videos and listening to haunting music sent by the curator. The last of the challenges is to kill yourself.

The catch of the game is that once you download it, you won’t be able to uninstall it as the app also hacks your phone. And, there is no backing out. Apparently, once you agree to be a part of the game, you are not allowed to back out. If you do, the creators threaten to get you or your parents killed, as they have all the information.
Also, the highly-illegal game is not available for download and is available only to a closed community, so instead of the teenagers seeking the game, the creators seek out their victims.

While concern has been raised over the possible emergence of the so-called Blue Whale game or challenge, those looking into the existence of the phenomenon believe there is enough to warrant being on alert and monitoring developments.

Talk of the concept is believed to have originated in Russia where it was linked to a number of teenage suicides, although it was later found that there was no hard evidence in any of these cases. While some commentators say Blue Whale – which also seems to go by A Sea of Whales or A Silent House or Wake me Up at 4:20am – is available as a digital application, there is very little to show that this is true.

It seems the mystery around what it is has been further hidden in a swirl of misnomers, hearsay and vague language.

One theory is that the game is downloaded onto a computer or smartphone and the user is then presented with daily tasks by an assigned administrator. The challenges are dangerous and sinister, with users encouraged to kill themselves on the 50th and final day.

Another theory is that the phrase – and those like it – are the names of forums on which vulnerable teens discuss suicide and self-mutilation, but that there is no sinister being or group which actively pushes the participants to harm themselves.

Peer pressure is associated with the game through apps like Snapchat. Teenagers supposedly “tag” each other and challenge them to play. The student then downloads the Blue Whale app, which hacks into their personal information and cannot be deleted. The app originators then threaten the teenagers with harm to their families or releasing of personal information until they kill themselves.

Mental-health professionals and government officials are expressing concern, although for different reasons. Activists are urging a focus on the factors that drive youths to be interested in such ghoulish games, while politicians tend to see the Blue Whale phenomenon as an argument for bolstering control over the Internet.

Editors Note: Spotlifea Asia has not verified the authentication of the so called “Blue Whale” game or any stories link with it.  We have decided to publish this story in an attempt to bring knowledge to parents and not spread inaccurate information.  Our attempt is to simply raise awareness on the subject.