Blue Whale Game: How To Protect Your Child From This Threat

You have certainly heard about the 'Blue Whale Game', a series of 50 challenges that unknown people give to teens through social networks that ends with youth suicide.

At first the game was just a rumor in Russia, but some people made it real.

Over the internet, in apps like Facebook and WhatsApp, these people order participating teens to meet challenges such as cutting hands, arms and legs, drawing a whale with a blade, waking up at dawn to watch horror movies, and finally , commit suicide.

On average, young people attracted to the Blue Whale Game are between 12 and 14 years old. In addition to natural immaturity, another reason that makes it very difficult for teenagers to break challenges is the constant threats from? Healers? that even promise to murder the young man's family.

In Brazil, some cases of suicide and attempted suicide among adolescents have been associated with the growth of this game, which has made parents very concerned about the possibility of their children being victims of malicious people.

Read also: Puberty: How to deal with children in this phase of life

Here are some tips to help your child stay away from the Blue Whale Game and to protect him from threats:

1. Have a frank, non-sermon conversation

Although the issue is of great concern, it should be treated with serenity. A good idea is to start by asking your child if he has heard anything about the Blue Whale Game to introduce the conversation.

Avoid lecturing and censoring the conversation, as this may cause the teenager to omit information, such as "if my parents are going to freak out, I better be quiet about what happened to my classmate."

2. Keep in mind: It's not the fault of the internet.

Prohibiting young people from accessing social networks will not only make them angry, but it is also an ineffective measure. You can even prevent him from contacting the Blue Whale Game, but he will not be prepared to face other similar threats that may arise during his lifetime.

Despite being a threat that starts from the internet, social networking is just the medium where danger comes from, not its true cause. Therefore, the best way out is to promote dialogue and teach your child to recognize threats in order to avoid them.

Read also: How parents should guide their children about drugs

3. Nevertheless, monitor the use of social networks.

Even though the internet itself is not the source of the problem, it is clear that the use of this medium should be monitored by parents. You need to know which sites your child visits, at what time, and for how long.

Teach your child what information he or she should not share on the internet. Full name, phone number, address, school where you study, name and profession of parents, for example, should not be displayed on social networks, as they can serve as a weapon in the hands of? Healers? about the game.

A valuable tip is to access your child's social networks and look for game-related groups. If you find any, report it to your own social network and take the case to the police.

4. Watch for behavioral changes

Changes such as sudden isolation, loneliness, and apathy are signs that something is not going well. Even if your child is not participating in the Blue Whale, these manifestations may indicate some emotional disorder such as depression.

Also, be aware if your child insists on wearing long clothes even on hot days, as this may be an attempt to hide the marks of game-induced self-mutilation. Cuts in the hands, arms and legs are a very strong warning sign and should be treated urgently.

Also read: 8 Signs That You Are An Introvert

5. Show openness to talk about his problems

Make jokes with the Blue Whale Game, repeat prejudices that depression is something you have nothing to do and cry out that in the past these things did not exist. do not help your child stay away from these threats.

To make matters worse, the message he will understand is that he cannot talk about his problems with his parents because he will intuit that he may be ridiculed or even punished by his family.

Adolescence is a very difficult period and, even with all the needs such as housing, health and education met, we are all subject to emotional disorders, especially at this time of life.

6. Form a safety net

It is in the nature of teens to be more open to their friends than to their parents.It is therefore interesting to form a safety net with the parents of your child's closest friends so that families can collaborate with each other to prevent these threats.

Should the school also participate in this network? so much so that several suspicions of participation of the Blue Whale Game have been detected in the school environment, by the teachers themselves. Contact the school and see if there are any suicide prevention schedules, such as debates and lectures.

Also read: 10 Lessons We Can Learn From Our Children

7. Take bullying seriously

Still in the school environment, it is important to check that your child is not involved in bullying, either as a victim or as a practitioner.

Keep in mind that cursing, isolating, physically threatening and ridiculing peers is not just a "child's play", it can have serious consequences. Both bullying victims and practitioners need psychological counseling to solve this problem.

Often, the families of young suicide victims report that their children were normal, happy, studious teenagers with many friends, giving no sign that there was any problem.

However, such a drastic attitude does not come suddenly, but is a consequence of a psychological tendency for this act. Often the signals were being given, but the lack of really open dialogue, no sermons and no jokes about teens' feelings, doesn't allow parents to detect them.

Blue whale - How to protect your children from this killer game? (May 2024)