The archive / Technology and the internet
2016–2017 · Russia and worldwide
Deadly online game lures children to suicide!
The Blue Whale challenge
Panic meter
The verdict
An alleged online game was said to drive teenagers to suicide. No cases have been confirmed, and authorities called it sensationalism.
Reality meter
What was said?
In 2016 a Russian newspaper reported on a secret online game, "Blue Whale", in which a "curator" set teenagers 50 tasks that ended in suicide. The warning spread through schools, police forces and parents' groups in dozens of countries.
The verdict: what happened next?
The reported deaths could not be confirmed, and the article that started the wave has been criticised for drawing conclusions without evidence. British internet safety bodies called the rumours sensationalist fake news.
The risk is that the alarms themselves spread the idea. Experts advise against sharing warnings about such "challenges" and recommend talking to children about how they are feeling instead.
Comments 0