What is the Blue Whale suicide game and how many deaths are linked to the challenge?
BLUE Whale is a horrifyingly dangerous suicide challenge which appears to goad vulnerable teens into killing themselves.
The 'challenge' has been linked to at least 130 teen deaths across Russia and police in the UK are also warning parents.
What is the Blue Whale online suicide game?
The Blue Whale suicide game is believed to be a social media group which is encouraging people to kill themselves.
There are hundreds of thousands of posts relating to the sick trend on Instagram.
It's thought a group administrator assigns daily tasks to members, which they have to complete over 50 days.
The horrific tasks include self-harming, watching horror movies and waking up at unusual hours, but these gradually get more extreme.
On the 50th day, the controlling manipulators behind the game reportedly instruct the youngsters to commit suicide.
Two girls died this week after they were hit by a freight train near Krasnoufimsk in the Urals, Russia.
The pair – named as Yulia Medvedeva, 13, and I. Gabdulkhakova, 15 – were hugging close to the rail line when they were hit by the engine and dragged down the track.
The driver slowed the train but could not avoid hitting them.
Yulia died at the scene, while the other girl was rushed to hospital – but doctors were unable to save her.
The two girls had deleted their social media accounts shortly before their deaths, it was reported.
Is Blue Whale in the UK?
Essex Police informed a school in Basildon about the Blue Whale challenge and the headteacher wrote to parents about it.
The letter, sent by Woodlands School in Basildon, was seen by Essex Live and read: "We have discovered a game through the police that we feel you should be aware of.
"It is called The Blue Whale Game and is played via many social media platforms."
No deaths in Britain have been linked to the game, but police officers have posted online warnings to parents.
Devon and Cornwall Police PCSO Kirsty Down tweeted: "Whoever created this horrible game is sick!
"Parents: Please be aware of this 'game' talk to your children about it if concerned."
FOR PARENTS: How to talk about peer pressure
1) Create the right situation:
Make sure you both have time to talk, the atmosphere is relaxed, and remember that this is a conversation, not an interrogation.
2) Listen:
Avoid solely talking at them. Listen to their concerns and their experiences.
3) Acknowledge their worries:
Dismissing their feelings will only shut down the conversation and make them reluctant to talk about what’s bothering them.
4) Help them practise ways of saying no:
Rehearsing with them ways to stand up to peer pressure and coming up with alternatives for them will build their confidence.
5) Keep the conversation going:
Let them know that they can always come to you if they have more worries, and take an interest in how they get on saying “no”.
Any adult who wants advice on how to talk to their child about peer pressure can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000.
How many teenage deaths have been linked to Blue Whale in Russia?
Police are said to be probing a number of suicides across Russia which they fear are linked to the online craze.
But as of yet the Blue Whale game has not been proven to be directly responsible for any deaths.
Investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported: "We have counted 130 suicides of children that took place between November 2015 to April 2016.
"Almost all these children were members of the same internet groups and lived in good, happy families."
Two schoolgirls Yulia Konstantinova, 15, and Veronika Volkova, 16, fell to their deaths from the roof of a 14-storey apartment block.
Yulia left a note saying “End” on her social media page after she posted a picture of a big blue whale.
A 17-year-old girl from India allegedly taking part in the suicide game was so desperate to die she tried to kill herself twice in just two days, according to reports.
She was recovering from injuries sustained while jumping into a lake when she took a near-fatal drug overdose at home.
Another unnamed 15-year-old girl was also critically injured after falling on to snowy ground from a fifth floor flat in the city of Krasnoyarsk, also Siberia. Two days earlier, a 14-year-old girl from Chita was reported to have thrown herself under a commuter train.
A 13-year-old boy was also saved from killing himself after he was spotted perching on the edge of a roof in Lviv, Ukraine.
A family raced to stop a 15-year-old girl from killing herself, with the young girl reportedly now recovering in a hospital in Barcelona.
The Russian parliament proposed a bill bringing about criminal responsibility for the creation of pro-suicide groups on social media. This will need to be signed by President Vladimir Putin and would see those who incited others to commit suicide jailed for up to four years.
What are police doing to investigate Blue Whale related deaths?
Cops are said to have launched a probe into the sick craze sweeping Russia - the suicide capital of the world.
It was reported that two teenage boys were detained by police at the scene after allegedly filming the tragic double suicide of Yulia and Veronika.
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a probe on “incitement to suicide” regarding the pair’s death.
In Krasnoyarsk, law enforcement recently opened three criminal cases of incitement to suicide involving schoolgirls via the groups on social media. In all three cases, the teenagers were rescued.
One local school director told police he had received an anonymous call saying a student had joined a “group of death” and planned soon to kill herself.
The police identified the girl who explained that she had joined a “game” and had been given “tasks” by the group administrator.
She did not obey the commands, which involved self-harm, but there are fears that others did.
In the Chita case, transport police confirmed the game is a possible “cause of death”.
Last year, an alleged ringleader named as 21-year-old Philipp Budeikin was detained, and he has been charged with organising eight groups between 2013 and 2016 which “promote suicide”.
Some 15 teenagers committed suicide, and another five were rescued at the last moment, according to the case against him.
What is Instagram doing to stop the game spreading?
Instagram has started showing users a warning when they search for pictures relating to Blue Whale.
When you search for the term on the network, a notification appears which reads: “Posts with words or tags you’re searching for often encourage behaviour that can cause harm and even lead to death.
“If you’re going through something difficult, we’d like to help.”
MOST READ NEWS
But directly underneath the post it gives the option to “see posts anyway”.
There are several shocking pictures of self-harm and even jokes about the sick game once you click through.
Some include pools of blood on the floor, while others appear to show a whale carved onto an arm.
What has the NSPCC said?
The NSPCC say children should remember not to follow the crowd and not feel pressured into doing anything that makes them feel unsafe.
A spokesperson said: “Children can find it difficult to stand up to peer pressure but they must know it’s perfectly okay to refuse to take part in crazes that make them feel unsafe or scared.
“Parents should talk with their children and emphasise that they can make their own choices and discuss ways of how to say no.
“Reassuring a child that they can still be accepted even if they don’t go along with the crowd will help stop them doing something that could hurt them or make them uncomfortable.”
FOR KIDS: How to say no
It can sometimes be hard to stand up to your friends, so Childline offers the following tips on how to say no:
1) Say it with confidence:
Be assertive. It’s your choice and you don’t have to do something which makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
2) Try not to judge them:
By respecting their choices, they should respect yours.
3) Spend time with friends who can say ‘no’:
It takes confidence and courage to say no to your friends. Spend time with other friends who also aren’t taking part.
4) Suggest something else to do:
If you don’t feel comfortable doing what your friends are doing, suggest something else to do.
Any child worried about peer pressure or online worries can contact Childline on 0800 1111.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
- Movember, www.uk.movember.com
