"The devil's alphabet": the new and dangerous viral game

The behavior of young people is often misunderstood by adults, because they tend to be more likely to take risks or practice risky and daring behaviors.

In recent months, the behavior of some adolescents has raised alarm bells in various countries as a result of the macabre game called "Blue Whale", which according to some media would have been the cause of death of at least 130 young people.

• If you want to know more about this dangerous phenomenon, you can read our article: “A macabre Russian game, "Blue Whale", has led 130 young people to suicide”

But this dangerous phenomenon associated with the use of social networks and challenge chains is not the only game that is worrying authorities, but that a dangerous new fashion seems to have burst into the lives of children and adolescents with great force, is what is know how the "devil's alphabet", a dangerous viral game that causes serious injuries to the participants.

Sound of alarm in Spain: self-harm in adolescents

Although the game of the blue whale has created a great alert in half the world, the game of the The devil's alphabet has become known in Spain, specifically in the town of Mieres in Asturias, when

the mother of an eight-year-old boy noticed that her son had two deep wounds on his hands and similar in appearance on both limbs.

At first, the child avoided the mother's constant questions, concerned about the facts, and he refused to answer what was the cause of these marks. However, after the insistence of her parent, her minor ended up confessing to her that the origin of these injuries was in a dangerous and painful game called the devil's alphabet.

The devil's alphabet: what is it?

This game, in principle, does not endanger the lives of children; however, the pain can be very intense. The game has a simple operation, since the participant must recite the alphabet out loud high, but instead of saying the corresponding letter, you must verbalize a word that begins with that letter. For example: now, donkey, rocket, chocolate, dentist... and so on until you reach the "z".

As the participant says the words, another person is responsible for scratching the outside of the hand with their nails. Depending on mental agility and speed when saying the words, a person may take more or less to finish the alphabet. In case of getting stuck with any letter, each time you will receive more and more intensity in the scratch. The wounds that occur as a result of this act can be very deep and take several days to heal.

Also with sharp objects

Just when just a few weeks ago there was talk in the media about the Blue Whale case, this new game has come to light. It could seem like child's play, perhaps something more abrupt; nevertheless, The authorities are already talking about cases in which children have used sharp objects to scratch, for example, scissors. This has worried many parents, specifically in the Asturias region where the first case in Spain has been reported.

According to the local newspaper "La Nueva España", the Association against School Bullying of Asturias (ACAE) has launched a message on social networks in which it states that "the rules of this game are sadistic In some cases, it may happen that a person who leads the group and chooses the victims to become part of a club or group. The same association affirms that it does not want to create alarm, but teachers must be cautious and observe if there are students with this type of hand injury.

The police have not received any complaints yet.

Since the information circulating regarding this game is still recent, some individuals doubt its credibility.

As it is possible to read in some media such as the Spanish television "Cuatro", she was a friend of the child's mother Asturian, and not the authorities, which decided to alert the case through Facebook and the Association Against School Bullying -ACAE- (i.e. the same publication that asks teachers, parents and mothers to be vigilant for signs of this troublemaker game). In reality, according to the National Police, they have not yet received any complaints, although it has communicated that it could act ex officio in the centers that present the problem if necessary.

The Blue Whale, the precedent

Just a few weeks ago we echoed one of the most talked about phenomena in recent months, the Blue Whale game. A game has caused a great commotion because it has claimed several fatalities due to suicides. One of them was a 10-year-old girl who was taken to hospital for concussion and other injuries after jumping from a window in Kirishi, Russia. According to various sources, the total number of victims of this game is more than 130 people.

The first cases of this phenomenon, which would later become a global phenomenon, occurred in the territory of Russia and in some Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The game consists of the participants having to go through different tests (for example, tattooing a blue whale with a knife or jumping into the void from great heights) that are becoming increasingly dangerous and gravity. In total there are more than 50 tests, and the last one consists of committing suicide.

This game went viral and according to various media reports, the curators use different hashtags in Russian that translated they mean: "blue whale", "sea of ​​whales", "I'm in the game", "wake up at 4:20", among many others. others. Among the youngest, it has become a social phenomenon due to its presence on social networks.