Parents, you have one job to do tonight as a mom or a dad.
Your job is to ask your child if they have heard of the Blue Whale Challenge (it goes by other names too, including A Sea Of Whales, Blue While, A Silent House, Blue Whale Game, Wake Me Up At 4:20am, and other names).
If they have, ask them if they are playing the game (or challenge). Ask them if any of their friends are playing the game.
THIS IS NO GAME. Blue Whale is a series of “challenges” that kids are doing that involves inflicting pain on themselves to include self harm by way of cutting different parts of their bodies on different days. There are 50 days of essentially self harm activities. On the last day, and in order to “complete” the challenge, one commits suicide. The kids are encouraged to keep progressing daily by using social media to connect with other players.
If your kids are playing the “game” or “challenge” (or any similar type of self harm activity), you may need to get professional help. If your child is cutting themselves, you NEED to seek professional help.
If you are reading this post and you are cutting yourself or having suicidal thoughts, there are people that care about you and are available to help you. Suicide is never a solution. Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the USA, anytime, about any type of crisis (https://www.crisistextline.org/), Call 911, or a suicide hotline to talk to someone: https://www.suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html.
By Ben Halpert