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Air programme on dangers of Blue Whale game
Context:
- With alarming cases of suicides because of the recent Blue Whale Game, the Supreme Court has ordered educational programmes about the dangers of the online.
- It is to be a public broadcasted through Doordarshan.
What is the Blue Whale game or Blue Whale Challenge?
- The Blue Whale game or Blue Whale Challenge is believed to be a suicide game wherein a group of administrators or a certain curator gives a participant a task to complete daily.
- It is for a period of 50 days.
- The final of which is the participant committing suicide.
- Participants are expected to share photos of the challenges/tasks completed by them.
Consequences of the game:
- The game leads to complete a series of dark challenges.
- For example, self-harming, and ultimately goading the youngster to commit suicide.
- The game leaves vulnerable children vulnerable children at risk of
- Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic forms of contact.
- Online shaming: Online shaming is a form of Internet vigilantism in which targets are publicly humiliated using technology like social and new media.
What is being done?
- The Supreme Court directed public broadcaster Doordarshan to conceive a cautionary and educational programme about the dangers of the online game which goads players, mostly students, to commit suicide.
- A Bench gave the public broadcaster a week’s time to prepare the programme and air it on prime time.
- The idea behind the programme is to make parents and children aware of the dangers of online games like Blue Whale.
- Many state governments and schools put out a list of guidelines to raise awareness about the twisted game and also urged parents to keep a strict check on their children’s online activities
What are the other measures to be taken?
- Schools as well as police should issue advisories to parents urging them to be vigilant.
- There must be firewalls against potentially deadly and violent online games.
- The internet safety organisations across the world should have a strict surveillance over such games which are harmful in any means.
- The organisations should provide general advice to parents and educators on suicide prevention, mental health awareness, and online safety.
