Are you aware of the suicide online game that has been trending on the news?
The Blue Whale game is said to be a 50 day online game which targets young people. It assigns tasks to these young people ranging from self harm, watching horror movies, waking at odd hours and the ultimate is to commit suicide. It has been linked to the death of some teenagers in Russia and seems to be spreading to other countries. Hence the Police in Europe, Asia and South America are calling attention to it.
Whether the stories are true or false, we should be glad it hasn’t gotten to Africa yet. This is therefore our chance to be proactive. We do not have to wait till it becomes true or a state of emergency. Remember the World is a global village and there might be other questionable games reaching out to our kids.
What then can parents do?
Show interest
Parents should now become more interested in the games their children play. Ask questions, tell them to teach you how it is played. Attempt to play the games with them. Get their friends or siblings to play with them. This would try to eliminate secrecy surrounding any game. For now, we are majorly aware of Blue Whale but there might be others, so get involved.
Create friendly home atmosphere
It’s also important to create a friendly environment at home. This is the only way your kids can confide in you when something unusual begins to happen. The blue whale game is a 50 day game that includes self harming tasks.Imagine a child keeping that information from parents for almost 2 months. Why wasn’t it communicated or noticed albeit subtly? When the home is a dictatorial zone, fear will prevent children from communicating unusual situations around them.
Monitor behaviour
Monitoring behavioural changes can also pinpoint issues. Why wasn’t something picked up before these deaths occurred? Character difference in the child? Change of habits? Change of dressing? When a child starts wearing clothing covering all body parts, you need to check, he/she might be hiding injuries. When an outgoing child suddenly becomes withdrawn or a quiet child suddenly becomes a bully, then you need to investigate. Most times there are tell tale signs but if we are not paying attention, we would miss them.
Value system
Values, beliefs and knowledge are another deciding factor here. What beliefs are you inculcating in your kids? What knowledge are you sharing with them? This might be the deciding factor in their safety and health. Do they believe in the sanctity of life? Do they know they can help others in a worrisome situation? We will not always be with the children, we may not always monitor their activities but the values, beliefs and knowledge they have will help us keep them safe.
We all need to be more alert to ensure our environment is safe.
