A class 9 student of a government school in Jhunjhunu, who had started playing the deadly Blue Whale Challenge, was identified and counselled by the school and district authorities on Thursday. The boy was in the early stages of the game.
The Blue Whale Challenge is about completing various tasks set by the administrators of the online game, some of which require the players to inflict injuries on themselves. The final challenge requires the players to commit suicide. The game is believed to have originated from Russia.
“After receiving instructions from the education department regarding the game, I did a one-hour session in school on Thursday warning the students about the game,” said Kamlesh Tetarwal, principal of Seth Durgadutt Jatiya Government Senior Secondary School in Bissau, Jhunjhunu.
While the students were going to class after the session, a teacher overheard a boy telling his classmate that he was playing the game and was in the third stage. The teacher took the boy to the principal, who immediately informed the district administration and senior officials of the education department.
“The boy was scared. He said that the game administrators had details of his family and if he stopped playing the game, the administrators would kill his parents,” the principal said.
{{/usCountry}}“The boy was scared. He said that the game administrators had details of his family and if he stopped playing the game, the administrators would kill his parents,” the principal said.
{{/usCountry}}A psychologist and other officials counselled the 15-year-old for hours and assured him of his and his family’s safety, which dissipated some of his fear.
The boy’s mobile phone is with the principal so that the child does not have access to the game. The Boy’s father is a taxi driver and was out of station. The child’s uncle and neighbour were present during counselling.
The boy has also told the principal that earlier when he had gone to the market, a boy came on a motorcycle and asked him if he played the Blue Whale Challenge. The boy helped him clear the first two stages of the game, the first one was carving ‘f57’ on his hand with a blade and the second was carving ‘YES’ on his leg.
The boy helped him use a sticker on the skin. The third task, which the student had to complete before Friday morning, was to carve a blue whale on his hand.
What’s alarming is that the boy who helped the 15-year-old clear the two stages also told him that there were three more children playing the game and were in later stages.