According to People Magazine, a family in Texas is grieving the death of their teenage son after he committed suicide after allegedly taking part in, what they believe was the deadly “Blue Whale Challenge,” an online game that is trending on social media.
Police say the disturbing online game targets impressionable teens through their Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram and may have claimed upwards of 150 lives all over the world, though those numbers are unconfirmed.
Administrators reportedly ask participants to fulfill a series of increasingly dangerous challenges over the course of 50 days, which can dramatically vary, from watching horror movies, drinking bleach, to committing self-harm. But the game’s final challenge is fatal—to complete the game, participants are asked to commit suicide.
Parents are being encouraged to keep a watchful eye on and IN the social media accounts of their children.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, until your child is 18 years old, they should not be granted social media privacy from YOU. You should be the administrator. YOU should be going through their pages and direct messages on a regular basis. It's too important these days. Of course they will find ways to hide things from you, we all hid things from our parents when we were kids, but you have to stress the importance of transparency and safety and keep them as honest with you as possible. It's a scary world and their young lives are far too precious. - xo evelyn