Blue Whale Challenge: This is what experts are telling parents

NEW DELHI: Psychologists and mental health practitioners say worried parents must overcome their own anxiety and approach their children from a position of calm if they suspect their wards are leaning towards Blue Whale, the morbid online game.

"Many parents will talk to their kids, saying things like 'Hope no one is asking you to end your life.' The atmosphere that gets created here is one of division. This is an opportunity for parents to look at filling the gap in their relationship with the children. Perhaps they can ask their kids for help with handling technology, and that can segue into a conversation about Blue Whale," says consultant psychiatrist Dr Avdesh Sharma.

Why it is almost impossible to ban Blue Whale Challenge

The ban issue was recently raised in the Maharashtra assembly and in the Rajya Sabha by members who called for provisions to remove such games from websites.

Other doctors TOI spoke with highlighted factors that have made some families and parents more apprehensive than usual about their children giving in to the lethal game. These include estranged families, and children living in a city away from the watchful eyes of their guardians.

"Adolescence is a period of seeking highs and kicks. Technology provides that, and it has become a habit for youngsters. Parents end up feeling helpless," says Dr Nimesh Desai, director at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences.

'Take steps to arrest Blue Whale Challenge accessibility'

The DMK today urged the Centre to take immediate steps to "arrest the accessibility" of social media "game" Blue Whale Challenge to children, after it allegedly claimed the life of a teenager in Tamil Nadu.

Clinical psychologist Dr Pulkit Sharma says that recent incidents have changed parental speculations about what their children might be up to if they appear withdrawn. "They tend to link it to Blue Whale," he says, adding that he hasn't received any cases where a child's involvement with the game went beyond primary curiosity.