Need for checks & balances

Bursting with curiosity, 12-year-old Richek, a tech savvy student at Amrita Vidyalayam, Delhi, came home with a question for the family: “What is Blue Whale ChallengeIJ All my friends have been talking about it in school.”

Next day, Richek got a long circular from his school requesting parents to keep an eye on their children’s activities online and offline and making sure they didn’t play suspicious games that could be harmful mentally, psychologically or physically.

“Although the Internet has become a huge craze with the youngsters, as it has proved to be a great source of assistance, yet it acts as an unvarying source of threat to their existence. There are many sites/ games which are not conducive for the young minds. They divert their attention towards undesirable acts or things which can hamper their growth. The most recent development on the networking site is the advent of the game “Blue Whale Challenge” where the youngsters are targeted very easily,” the circular said.

Guidelines by this vigilant school included:

• Monitor the digital behaviour and subtly keep an eye on their Internet activity. It is important for you to understand what websites, apps and social media platforms they are on.
• Make sure they know when and how to report and block any malicious or inappropriate messages or posts.
• Be careful about over sharing of personal information such as the details related to your school, telephone number or anything that identifies where you might live. Consider not using full name for your profile.
• Use the T-shirt test when it comes to sharing images online or sending pictures or videos to friends. Would you wear it on your T-ShirtIJ If not then don't send it.
• Parents need to keep talking to children. Take interest in your child’s activity. Give them space to share their feelings instead of negating them.
• Have regular conversation about the risk such as cyber bullying and grooming they may be exposed to and how to deal with them and ensure they feel free to come and talk to your counsellor if you see anything upsetting.
• Never reprimand your child for whining, crying or staying aloof. Try to find out the reason behind the behavioural change. Talk to your child for at least 20 minutes daily. This will help you read trouble signs — are they bullied, body shamed or going through academic declineIJ
• If you are worried about your child’s emotional welfare or feel that they many have come across The Blue Whale Challenge, consult a psychiatrist. Consulting a psychiatrist is not an act of defaming yourself or putting yourself into any shame. It is a corrective remedial measure meant for the welfare of your children.

Many Public and Private school across India have rolled out the similar circulars and have been conducting cyber security workshops to prevent children from falling for such deadly games.

“We have a monthly cyber safety workshop by Rakshit Tandon, a cyber safety expert working closely with UP Police. The students are made aware of the danger lurking in cyber space and the adverse effects of gaming and social media,” Sunita Nagpal, Principal, Delhi Public School (DPS), Sushant lok, Gurgaon, says.

Nagpal points out that students with depressive tendencies are being cyber bullied.

“Children who are indulging in this game are already loners prone to be depression or are having some psychological issues. We ensure that we have an interactive time in the morning between the children and parents where our teachers discuss emotional issues and encourage children to talk. All our teachers have been trained to identify children who are not behaving normally. We contact the parents get them counselling and if the condition is bad, we recommend psychological help. That’s how we help them to come out of it,” Nagpal adds.

Abha Kohli, counsellor at the Shiv Nadar School, is planning to release guidelines and conduct workshops.  “Considering the growing threat of the Blue Whale Challenge, we plan to spread wider awareness among our parent and teacher communities. As part of this, the school will be sharing guidelines for parents on how to stay alert and watch out for any signs jeopardizing the safety of their ward through online challenges. The school will also hold sessions with all staff members and senior students on the subject of safety in the cyber world,” Kohli says.

Some activities that schools and parents are making their children do are: “Encourage the child to engage in extracurricular activities. Not reprimand them unnecessarily. Keep lines of communication open. Observe behavioural changes and regulate his time on the internet. Encourage children to read books,” Prof (Dr) Sanjeev P Sahni, Principal Director, Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences, says.