Battling the 'Blue Whale Challenge'
Five cases of self-harm have been reported in the Khyber Pakhtunkuwa province of the country.
(Dunya News) - Rumours surrounding an online game - the Blue Whale Challenge, have lately been making rounds in Pakistan after having created a global scare.
Five cases of self-harm have been reported to psychologists in the Khyber Pakhtunkuwa province of the country.
The victims include one girl and four boys – all between the ages of 15 to 19.
The fatal challenge has so far claimed the lives of more than 50 teenagers worldwide.
“People who are attracted to this game include a majority of those who already are mentally instable,” said psychologist Dr. Imran Khan.
According to Dr. Khan, the 15 year-old-girl had completed 49 out of the 50 tasks that were assigned to her by the game admins.
“Prior to starting the challenge, she was already suffering from depression and was having suicidal thoughts. The girl was saved after her parents had discovered something was wrong with her, and she herself wanting to be cured,” he said.
Two of the four boys playing the game were victims of solitude, who used to spend most of their time surfing the internet or using the computer.
According to experts, cases of children suffering from mental states like loneliness at such a vulnerable age, was very unsettling. Psychologists say that it is the responsibility of the parents to monitor their child’s activities, as vulnerable minds at can easily be sidetracked.
There has been much talk on social media over the suicidal challenge with little or no substantial information to address the issue.
Digital rights activist Nighat Dad also posted on the subject on Friday evening. In her post, Dad speaks about the game and the need to reach out to people who have been lately acting strange or feeling isolated.
For more on this, watch a report by Dunya News below.
