"Blue Whale": a macabre game leads young people to suicide

A few weeks ago, coinciding with the day of Valentine's Day (February 14), a 10-year-old girl was taken to hospital for concussion and other injuries after jumping from a window in Kirishi, Russia. Apparently, the girl had fallen into the void due to a game that has become a new social phenomenon, known as "Blue Whale", "blue whale".

On February 20, the Russian media reported that from the Federal Service of Saint Petersburg security has opened a line of investigation to clarify what is happening. According to various sources, the total number of victims of this game now amounts to 130 people.

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Blue Whale: The Suicide Game

Throughout the territory of Russia and in some Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Blue Whale (Blue Whale) have become a really worrying phenomenon, since there are many cases of children and adolescents who have died as a result of the use of this game.

this game is a viral challenge in which participants must go through various tests

, such as tattooing a blue whale with a knife, jumping into the void from great heights, watching horror movies all day, or staying awake for long periods of time. The last test is to commit suicide.

Several challenges in 50 days

the game has a simple but dangerous operation and, in its last phase, deadly. Once the participant registers, a curator is assigned to them. This then gives him different tasks to do that, during the next 50 days, he must overcome one by one. The participant, to demonstrate that he has overcome the different challenges, must record himself with a video or share a photograph of the completion of the test. After overcoming various challenges, the curator asks the participant to commit suicide.

As reported by Radio Free Europe (also known as Radio Liberty), curators use different hashtags in Russian which translated mean: "blue whale", "sea of ​​whales", "I'm in the game", "wake up at 4:20", among many others. others. This practice has become a social phenomenon among the country's youth.

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The viral phenomenon began on Vkontakte

As is known, this trend started on the social network Vkontakte, also called Vk. Although it is unknown to many people, it is widely used in countries like Russia, Belarus or Ukraine.

In Spain it is also used, since there are many Russian inhabitants who spend the summer in our country. Some Spaniards use it because, despite having an aesthetic similar to Facebook and sharing some features with this social network, it also shares features similar to some dating apps (like the location of Happn), but without that being its end or objective. According to data provided by various local media, only on January 20, 2017 there were 4,000 searches for the hashtags of this game.

An example of how healers work

As surprising as it may seem, some children and adolescents get carried away by this game, many of them with the idea of ​​doing something forbidden. For this reason, a journalist from Radio Free Europe (RFE), decided to create a fake profile of a 16-year-old girl to be able to talk are a curator through Vk. The conversation went like this:

RFE journalist: “Good morning. I would like to play the game, what do I have to do?

Curator: "Are you sure? Once you have started there is no way to go back.

RFE journalist: "I'm sure, but what does that mean?"

Curator: "So you can't quit the game once you start it. If you accept, you must accept the rules of the game" RFE Journalist: "I'm ready, so go ahead" Curator: "You must perform the tasks diligently, and no one must know what you are doing. When you finish each task, it is necessary that you send me a photo or video so that I can verify that you have passed each phase. And at the end of the game, you die. Are you ready?"

RFE journalist: "And if I want to quit the game?"

Curator: “I have all your information. They will come for you."

The journalist states that the first task was to put the "F58" symbol on his arm with a knife. Then he had to send a photo to show that the test had been completed successfully.

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Some hypotheses that are considered

The Mental health professionals and Russian state officials are expressing concern. That is why they are trying to identify the factors that drive young people to be interested in such macabre games.

This matter has reached the Russian political landscape, who see in this phenomenon an argument to strengthen control over the Internet. At a February 16 hearing in Russia's Public Chamber to discuss a proposed law increasing penalties for inciting suicide, allegations were heard claiming that this phenomenon has been created by "Ukrainian nationalists" as a campaign prepared to ensnare 2 million young people, according to a report of the meeting in the daily Kommersant.

Suspected and guilty of inciting suicide

Various media have echoed the investigations and arrests that are being carried out. The newspaper from the Ossetia region, in northern Russia, reported on February 17 that four people from the town, including two minors, had been arrested on suspicion of having played a decisive role in the suicide of a minor under 15 years of age on February.

On February 20, prosecutors in Altai, Russia, opened an investigation into suspicions that an unidentified group of individuals pressured a 15-year-old boy to commit suicide over a period of three months, unsuccessfully.