Relationships May 11, 2017
Schools are warning parents about the dangerous "game."
Update 7/17/2017: CNN is now reporting a teen suicide in the US which *may* be linked to the suicide game.
We’ve come a long way from being scared of a videotape, like in the 2002 horror film “The Ring.”
Now it’s a mysterious and nefarious website/app called the Blue Whale Challenge which, over a span of 50 days, coaxes teens into killing themselves. Or so legend has it.
Parents in schools in America are being warned about this deadly “app” these days. But the lure of the “Blue Whale Challenge” or “#BlueWhaleChallenge” began in Russia, where it was reported that a shocking 130 suicides were inspired by the app.
However, Snopes called foul on that number, saying it was never actually proven. Turns out Russia has an alarmingly high rate of suicide among young people to begin with. For example, in 2013, 461 minors took their own lives.
And no one can even find this supposed app or website. There’s no match when you search in the App store. And while I must admit I was a little nervous searching online for the website – not unlike Naomi Watts looking for that damned tape in “The Ring” – that didn’t turn up anything either.
See, forums, like Reddit, suggested that once you click into the #BlueWhaleChallenge, monitors grab your IP address and begin keeping tabs on you, threatening to release information or even to come after you or your loved ones if you slip up with your 50 tasks.
Oh, that’s right. There are 50 days of tasks that go along with the #BlueWhaleChallenge. And it goes pretty 0-60. The very first day you’re asked to carve “f57” into your hand and then send a photo to a curator.
From there it includes odd and macabre things such as waking up at 4:20am to look at “psychedelic and scary” videos, cutting your arms with razors and standing on the edge of the “highest roof you can find” for “some time.”
After accomplishing all of the other tasks, the player “wins” by completing the final challenge, committing suicide, on the 50th day. Yeah, it’s really fucked up. The #BlueWhaleChallenge is apparently named after blue whales, which sometimes beach themselves and then die.
Apparently “Blue Whale” suicide groups started in Russia after the death of Russian teenager Rina Palenkova, who took her own life shortly after posting a photo on social network VK.com.
A bunch of communities began using Palenkova’s photo to try and drive traffic – particularly with teens – to their sites. Ugh. Using the image of a dead teenager for your own benefit. If that doesn’t skeeve you out, I don’t know what will.
One such scumbag, More Kitov, claimed he just wanted to get advertisers to his page. Since he knew the topic was trendy, he created the “Sea of Whales” page and used Palenkova to promote it, even taking her pages, reports, videos and photos of her grave, etc.
He claims he didn’t want to encourage teens to commit suicide, but merely saw a trend and had to jump on the bandwagon for success. He said he had to “become one of them.”
Even with the trend of the bizarre and sinister “whale” groups, investigations into the alleged suicides proved unsuccessful. Radio Free Europe found no links to suicides and these online communities.
Eventually saint-petersburg.ru pinned all of this nastiness on 21-year-old Philipp Budeikin. He apparently confessed months before to inciting young girls to commit suicide.
“These are those who do not represent any value to society and are or will only bring harm to society. I cleaned our society from such people,” Budeikin reportedly told the publication, calling the young girls “biological waste.”
Expanding on his revolting little, pet project, Budeikin had said, “I laughed when I saw everyone trying to understand what ‘F57’ means. It’s simple. F – Phillip, my name. 57 – the last digits of my then number.”
Snopes reported that despite this news they had still been unable to verify the claims. However, this week BBC News reported that Budeikin was being held at Kresty Prison in St. Petersburg for charges of inciting at least 16 teenage girls to kill themselves, thanks to his twisted “game.”
He reportedly pleaded guilty during a hearing yesterday.
That’s tough to say. An arrest being made seems to be a good sign. But that’s really contingent on whether or not Budeikin was the culprit, and the only culprit.
For now there are still some pretty gnarly pictures on Instagram, reportedly from the challenge that I would advise avoiding. Instagram is also on board, putting it’s own warning in place should you feel so inclined to type in “#BlueWhaleChallenge.”
“Can we help?” It asks, noting that that particular search “encourages behavior that can cause harm and even lead to death.” Another button offers to “Get Support.” And if you were considering the #BlueWhaleChallenge, or suicide in general, we recommend that you do as well.
Find support here.
