In light of the first incident of an attempt to complete the deadly Blue Whale Challenge reported in the national Capital on Thursday, psychologists and cyber experts suggest that parents of adolescents keep an eye on every small yet sudden behavioural changes in their children.
The victims of this deadly challenge tend to be those who suffer from low self esteem. It is adolescents who are primarily targeted. Since it is a delicate stage in a person's life where they tend to look for social recognition and acceptance from others, the Blue Whale Challenge grabs the attention of the individuals who tend to go to social media to look for validation.
"The challenge further reinforces the belief that it reinforces the self esteem of the victim by appreciating them when they successfully complete a task," said Dr Sameer Parikh, Director of Mental Health, Fortis Healthcare.
However, the cyber experts warn that the trend of Blue Whale Challenge is not based on a website or an application. "By putting a ban on them, the Government will not be able to stop the adolescents from using the trend.” Explaining how Blue Whale Challenge functions, Sanjay Kumar, an IPS from Kannur told The Pioneer, "It works on Whatsapp where like minded people come together under a curator who further gives them commands to do a particular task."
Elaborating what symptoms parents can look out for, he said, "The child or teen tends to physically hurt themselves. A difference in eating or sleeping habits can be observed. A significant increase in screen time, a teen cutting themselves off from regular life, substance abuse and social media posts using #i_am_whale.”
Family and friends should identify these signs and should come together to help the kids.