Recently, there's a lot of nasty rumours and news circulating about this suicide game and some governments are acting on it as we speak.
If you have not known yet:
Blue Whale' is an online suicide group called 'which encourages players to kill themselves with suicide as the last goal'.
It is believed to taken the lives of 130 children by suicide that took place between November 2015 to April 2016 on Russia. Police are still investigating this and there is a possibility that this sick craze has spread to the rest of the world.
It is believed that an administrator of this "group game" would assign daily tasks to members which they have to complete over 50 days. Such tasks includes self-harming, waking up at usual hours, watching horror movies and these gradually get more extreme.
On the 50th day, the admin would instruct the victims (usually vulnerable teenagers around the age of 15) to commit suicides.
I did a little research and decide to share some of the information I collected so that some (possibly and hopefully false) rumours can be dispelled.
Fortunately there isn't an app available on Google Play Store/Apple Appstore in several countries but there is a chance that it might be there.
Moreover, the creators of Blue Whale originally seemed to search for targets though social media and they get them to join "a group of death" (probably something like an actual chat group).
{Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3002981/blue-whale-game-suicide-russia-rules-challenge-social-media/ }
And that doesn't mean that the app must be found in Google Play Store/Apple Appstore.
Nor does that necessarily mean there is an app in the first place.
There is also this rumour:
"Creators reportedly seek out and target participants online. The game is then downloaded via an app that hacks your phone."
{Taken from: http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/92362730/warning-over-blue-whale-game-encouraging-young-people-to-take-their-own-lives }
Do note that there is no concrete evidence that the statement above is true. It is very likely that it is a hoax by the creators to instill fear in their victims so that creators can threaten them with the idea that all their (and their love one's) personal information are in the administrators' hands should the players get cold feet.
Also, it is not likely that Google Play Store or Apple Appstore would allow suspicious apps like 'Blue Whale'. After all, they have app policies that this 'Blue Whale' app would fail.
{Taken from: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/rejections/ }
"Misleading Users
Your app must perform as advertised and should not give users the impression the app is something it is not. If your app appears to promise certain features and functionalities, it needs to deliver."
Hence: "App stores like Google, Apple or Windows would not, and do not permit such a shady entities on their platforms."
{Taken from an opinion @ http://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/in-other-news/070517/blue-whale-not-a-whale-of-a-time-this-game-spells-death.html}
However, if the creators of 'Blue Whale' have another site for players to download which is not Apple Appstore/Google Play Store. This rumour may still be vaild.
Also, even though there might not be an app for 'Blue Whale'. There are copycats out there with apps.
'Blue Whale' is not the only suicide game known as there are (as always) copycats. Some being:
'Baleia Azul' -- a direct translation in Brazilian for the original Russian name, 'Siniy Kit', or 'Blue Whale',
{Source from: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-04-25/why-the-russian-suicide-game-went-global}
'A Sea of Whale',
'A Silent House' and
'Wake Me Up at 2.40 am'.
These games are reported to contain challenges to kill themselves as part of the tasks to "win the game".
*Update*
I found an old (23th May 2016) article called "Are Russian internet communities responsible for wave of child suicides?" by YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA from RBTH with more details on the internet 'death groups' in Russia.
{ Link to source: https://rbth.com/politics_and_society/2016/05/23/are-russian-internet-communities-responsible-for-wave-of-child-suicides_596669 }
This article had given a link to the investigation of the 'death groups' which is conducted by the liberal Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
To summerise (Again, all info from the article by Yekaterina Sinelschikova):
- There are no fewer than 1,500 VKontakte (Russian social media) communities that can be seen to encourage children to commit suicide in one way or another, according to the investigation by Novaya Gazeta.
- The names of these groups sound harmless like 'Slient House' but in reality, they contain deep-sounding/pompous quotes about the meaningless of life.
- The "most serious" of these suicide communities have shocking content - photos of cut-up arms, videos of staged and real child suicides.
- It is said that the 'aim' of these communities/'Death groups' is ' "to bring [users] to the condition of Rina" - a reference to Rina Palenkova, a 16-year-old girl from a Siberian city who committed suicide by lying on railway tracks in November 2015.'
- One main promoter for these 'death groups'/suicide communities "claimed that the administrators of such groups had no interest in grooming minors to take their own lives but were merely interested in boosting their commercial profile."
- Some creators of these groups 'say that it was all just a "game,"' and that 'some children simply believed in it too much.'
- There is a law in Russia that "block websites dedicated to the promotion of suicides". However, as soon as one website is shut down, new versions will replace the old ones, making it nearly impossible to shut down.
And remember that this is from an old article a year ago and is referring to specifically Russia.
Now that 'Blue Whale' Has gone viral, it is very likely that some "very smart people" (sarcastic tone) will set up 'death groups' outside Russia.
Which is why we need to be more aware of such suicide communities/ 'death groups' before more lives are taken.
So in conclusion:
● Don't be afraid to refuse/reject any challenge or games and not follow should you encounter such a situation/ feel unsafe about it
● Be wary of who you are speaking to online and of course what you download
● If you ever suspect someone you know is taking part in a similar challenge, report it.
● Do Not Attempt to confront those people if you happen to chance upon them. These creators are masters of psychology and words to be able to manipulate so many innocent lives to their demise.
● Spread the word and warn your friends about this.