Google: Blue Whale Challenge trending' among Indian netizens
The most vulnerable age group is said to be 12-19 years and the game's creators often target them.
Bengaluru: The fascination for ‘Blue Whale Challenge’, a deadly online game which eventually leads to participant's suicide, has reached alarming levels among the country’s netizens, going by the Google numbers.
As per Google Trends report, in the last one month India figures second in the world, while Bengaluru figures sixth in the country.
According to a UNICEF report titled ‘Blue Whale Challenge: What parents need to know’, in a span of two weeks more than six children across India, in the age group of 12-19 years, have taken their lives after allegedly playing this game.
Parents and school authorities are on high alert following reports of such suicides. It is a secretly distributed game with a 50-step process and after every step the participant has to send a photo to the curator. The victims die after carving a whale on the arm using a razor.
The most vulnerable age group is said to be 12-19 years and the game’s creators often target them.
Pink whale to the rescue
In order to counter this morbid phenomenon, Baleia Rosa, which stands for Pink Whale in Portuguese, was created.
It is available on social media platforms, mobile apps and online and aims to encourage positivity and happiness in the participant's life.
The website homepage reads, “The goal is to prove that the Internet can also be used to spread love.”
Their 50 tasks include ‘Make a new friend’ and ‘With a marker draw a pink whale and write a motivating quote/word.’
The project has been welcomed worldwide by net users.
