Parents Step Up Vigil, Take Expert Help as Blue Whale Stalks Internet

GURUGAM: Psychiatrists in the city are reporting a sudden surge in the number of parents seeking advice and guidance on keeping their children safe from the Blue Whale, the suicide game that has already been linked to a few recent deaths in India.

Psychiatrists in the city say they are being approached by worried parents, who want to educate themselves about the Blue Whale Challenge, as a precautionary measure to keep their children away from the threatening 'game'.

"Over the past one week, I've counselled eight sets of parents who approached me with concerns about the Blue Whale Challenge. I've told them to supervise their kids' activities on the Internet. They should become friends with their kids, allowing them to open up. Parents should sensitise their kids on what type of game this is," said Dr Roma Kumar, clinical psychologist, Max Hospital, Gurgaon.

Contrary to popular notions, it's not only kids from affluent households who are falling prey to the Blue Whale. According to Dr Brahmdeep Sindhu, a psychiatrist at Civil Hospital in Gurgaon, many parents from lower income groups have also asked for his assistance, to understand the menace posed by this online game. "Blue Whale Challenge has become a concern for parents in Gurgaon. I've attended 50-60 parents over the past week, who all came with queries on how to deal with this issue. This is a startling number, and it only goes to show that parents in the city are concerned their kids will become familiar with this online game," said Dr Sindhu.

A resident of DLF-5 said she was shocked when her 12-year-old son not only explained to her how the challenge works, but also told her how he has already participated in it. "I was taken aback when he said he's played this game. He said it's a simple game where you are given challenges. I'd counselled him and told him how kids are committing suicide by playing it. Thankfully, he has stopped, but I'm keeping a close watch on his Internet activities," she said.

Another DLF-5 resident, who has two sons, aged 14 and 10, said, "I went online to understand the game better. I do check my sons' Internet history, though I'm sure they know how to delete it. I spend a lot of time with them to understand their current state of interest," she said.

The Haryana Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued an advisory for parents and schools about online games like the Blue Whale Challenge. The commission has directed schools to educate students and teachers about the challenge. "We've issued an advisory to all schools in Haryana. Moreover, our counsellors will go to schools in order to educate them about the ill effects of the game," said Jyoti Bainda, chairperson of the commission.

G Mohanty, media advisor, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said, "This is a massive threat. The Union ministry of information and technology has written to all social media sites like Facebook, Google and WhatsApp, to block links to such games."

Cyber expert Sunil Abraham, executive director of the Centre for Internet and Society, a Bangalore-based research organisation, said it won't be easy to block this challenge. "Under the IT Act, the government is well within its rights to block this site and such links. However, it is difficult to block. This game is basically played through private channels. Once you sign up with the game, your interaction with the person who is giving you challenges is done privately through apps like WhatsApp," said Abraham.