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Centre moves to block Blue Whale -online game

Centre moves to block Blue Whale -online game


















TT, New Delhi, Aug. 15: The Centre has directed Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Instagram, Micrsoft and Yahoo, to remove links to the online game called Blue Whale Challenge that has been linked to suicides by children in India and other countries.
The Union electronics and information technology ministry letter to the Internet companies follows the suicides of a teenager in Mumbai and another in West Midnapore after they joined the Blue Whale Challenge, an online game that assigns players daring or risky challenges.
"You are requested to ensure that any such link of this deadly game in its own name or similar name is immediately removed from your platform," the ministry said in its letter. "It is understood that an administrator of the game uses social media platform(s) to invite/incite children to play this game which may eventually lead them to take extreme steps for self-inflicting injuries, including suicide."
The Blue Whale Challenge, according to information on various websites, is a game that assigns players tasks involving fear or risks over a period of 50 days. One website says the tasks include "self-harming, watching horror movies and waking up at unusual hours..., but these gradually get more extreme".
The Union women and child ministry tweeted on Monday that minister Maneka Gandhi "had taken cognisance of the self-destructive Blue Whale Challenge that has already claimed the lives of over 100 youngsters (worldwide)", and asked the Union home and information technology ministers to plan "suitable intervention".
The alleged suicides of a 14-year-old boy in Mumbai, who jumped from a building last month, and a 15-year-old boy in West Midnapore who suffocated himself in a plastic bag last week have been linked to the Blue Whale Challenge.
Western media reports, citing Russian media, have said a 21-year old Russian man identified as the inventor of the Blue Whale Challenge had pleaded guilty to inciting 16 girls into committing suicide.
A psychiatrist in India said the government directive was "absolutely justified".
"Many young teenagers are vulnerable, some of them may feel isolated, some may be seeking recognition, and if someone urges them to daring things, they may feel good about it, about receiving some sort of recognition," said Samir Parikh, a New Delhi-based child psychologist.
"It is a vicious cycle, they like the recognition the game brings them without realising the risks involved," Parikh added.
The spread of information about the Blue Whale Challenge via social media in recent months has triggered concern among sections of the public in several countries. It has also prompted authorities in New Zealand, the UK and the US to caution parents about keeping their children away from the game.

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