Blue Whale Challenge Research Articles

The #BlueWhaleChallenge and presence of suicidal ideations on Polish-language Twitter

ABSTRACT Objective The Blue Whale Challenge (BWCh), widely reported as a media hoax in 2017, was allegedly an online game encouraging teenagers to commit suicide. Method Google Trends identified the peak interest in the BWCh in March 2017. Tweets containing ‘suicide’ were analyzed, with each tweet reviewed for personal suicidal content. Data on suicide attempts and deaths were sourced from the National Police Headquarters, while hospital admissions data (ICD-10 codes F00-F99 and T36-T65) was collected from the Hospital Morbidity Survey. Crisis helpline data for children and adolescents (116 111) was also gathered. Results Between January 24 and April 10, 2017, 17,063 tweets containing ‘suicide’ were posted, with 240 identified as personal suicidal content: 65.7% expressed suicidal thoughts, 11.7% plans, and 1.3% encouragement. In April 2017, suicide deaths were higher among 19–24-year-olds compared to April 2018, while suicide attempts were lower among 13–18-year-olds compared to April 2019. No significant increase in suicide attempts was found during the BWCh period for individuals aged 0-18. Hospital admissions for T36-T65 codes peaked in 2017 for the 5–14 age group. Crisis helpline data showed decreasing phone calls and increasing chat messages from 2015 to 2020. Discussion There is no definitive link between BWCh popularity and a rise in suicidal behaviour nationwide. Despite widespread media coverage, there was no noticeable surge in suicide statistics. This study highlights the prevalence of harmful suicidal content on Twitter, emphasising the importance of mental health promotion, prevention, and support for social media users.

Swipe & Slice: Decoding Digital Struggles with NSSI in Young Italians

IntroductionNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as any deliberate destruction of one’s body tissue, engaged in for reasons that are non-suicidal. Online platforms, notably social media, witness a surge in NSSI-related content, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Young individuals increase video and post uploads, prompting scholarly inquiry into the impact on vulnerable demographics in the online environment. Despite potential benefits, concerns surface regarding content reinforcing self-injurious behavior. The Blue Whale phenomenon exemplifies serious consequences in this digital landscape.ObjectivesThe present study aims at screening the prevalence of NSSIs on SNS among Italian young people.MethodsAn observational cross-sectional study was conducted by recruiting 373 Italian young people (aged 18-25). Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Fear Of Missing Out Scale (FOMO), Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS) were administered to investigate the relationship between NSSIs, social media use and frequency and underpinned motivations.ResultsOverall, 99.7 % (n=372) of participants declared to have used at least one social network. Around 92.5 % (n=345) declared to know Blue Whale Challenge and more than half of the sample (51.5%) referred to have looked for NSSI contents on SNS, mostly (28.7 % (n=107)) have sought for curiosity, 17.7 % (n=66) have sought for help/support. 53.4 % (n=199) of the sample was found to have problematic social media use (PSMU) according to BSMAS. 85 % (n=317) have committed self-injurious gestures in the past, 66.2 % (n=247) practice NSSI currently, most subjects practice them to vent 51.7% (n=193), calm themselves 41.6% (n=155), and punish themselves 30% (n=112). The mean age of transgender and nonbinary subjects (30 % n=112)) who sought/saw content pertaining to NSSIs appears to be lower (p=0.033) than cisgender subjects. Those who searched for content inherent to NSSIs scored higher mean scores on the FOMO (p=0.022) and BSMAS (p=0.013) scales. Those who follow social pages inherent to NSSIs scored higher on the FOMO scale (p=0.035). Subjects who practice NSSIs at their present state, on average, have higher scores on the FOMO and BSMAS scales (p=<.001). Linear regression analysis was conducted showing an association between BSMAS and FOMO (R²=0.199, B=0.260; F(1.371)=92.334; p=<.001). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to define the effects of FOMO, PMSU, sex, and NSSI search on the development of self-injurious conduct. The logistic regression model was statistically significant, χ2 (1)=3.909; p=0.048.ConclusionsThe study examines NSSI behaviors among young Italian college students on digital platforms, particularly social networks. It stresses the critical need for targeted interventions, addressing concerns like social media addiction, to provide essential mental health support and foster a safer online environment for this population.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Investigation of Social Approaches in Different Countries towards Suicide of the Blue Whale Game through Newspaper News

The aim of this study is to examine the negative attitude and prejudice of the media reflected in news articles about the relationship between ‘online games and suicidal youth’. This study analyzed the content of the news and the language of the media used for young people who committed suicide related to playing Blue Whale Challenge in different social settings. In this study, news articles in three different countries were examined with the content analysis method, using the content descriptors of Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). In the news concerning young people who committed suicide and used this game, it was clearly observed that sources of influence involved attitudes towards online games, developed in part through the messages of the media, and that social conditions, including generational experiences, were influential in creating the media messages. Keywords: media panic, violence, online games, Blue Whale Challenge

The Blue Whale Challenge, Social Media, Self-Harm, and Suicide Contagion.

This report describes an adolescent with a history of self-injurious behavior who was hospitalized for suicidal ideation, who was inspired by the Blue Whale Challenge to engage in self-injurious behavior and post it on social media.

Re-Framing and Exploring Online Suicidal Games as a Specific Form of Cyberbullying

This article discusses online suicide games as a part of cyberbullying with the game called “Blue Whale Challenge” as an empirical case. The three-fold aim is to (i) identify key social mechanisms related to participation and engagement, (ii) discuss the phenomena in a broader sociological and criminological framework, and (iii) compare social mechanisms in BWC with mechanisms in cyberbullying. The analysis was conducted in two steps, firstly a case study based on a combination of media reports and extracts from different social media posts related to BWC was conducted. Secondly, the result from the case study was re-analyzed in relation to key elements identified in cyberbullying, to conclude if and how BWC can be defined as a form of cyberbullying. The results show that BWC can be defined as a specific form of cyberbullying, but victimization is created differently in BWC compared to victimization in cyberbullying.

The blue whale challenge from urban legend to real harm: Case study analyses of Chinese suicide attempters

The blue whale challenge from urban legend to real harm: Case study analyses of Chinese suicide attempters

Internet addiction and criminal phenomenology: an insight on the Social Networking Sites addiction and the online death games

With the advent of the virtual world as the counterpart of our daily lives, several concerns emerged. The following paper will focus on the iGeneration, a fragile social group grown up between the online and the offline world, and its chances to develop a technology addiction. Secondly, an insight on the illustrative and extreme scenario of the Blue Whale Challenge, a death challenge emerged on social networking sites, its implications and connection with the real world.

Digital Media and Youth Suicide: Analysis of Media Reporting on “Blue Whale” Case

The media play an important role in suicide prevention, which has led to the development of media guidelines for reporting on suicides. Engagement with such recommendations is analysed here. A case study has been conducted of the “Blue Whale Challenge,” an Internet “game” related to self-harm among adolescents, and the public alarm triggered by the related media coverage. Quantitative and qualitative content analysis was carried out of the news stories published in Spain by the mainstream digital media in 2017. The findings indicate the widespread presence of malpractice (sensationalist language and detailed descriptions of methods), which may contribute to copycatting and indicate poor compliance with international guidelines on best practice (such as providing information on reliable and contextualised help resources available). These results underscore the importance of including the role and function of the media in the prevention of this public health problem.

A Technical Way to Control Risks of Satellite Media to Protect Children and Adolescents Health: Comparing Countries with Iran

Background: This article is based on this view that by using the technology of satellite media, any related risk that can have impact on children and adolescents, are come about; consequently, some actions should be taken to deal with these risks for taking them under control. Objective: In order to prevent any kind of direct and/or indirect negative impacts of satellite media on children and adolescents, such as self-harm and suicide (Blue Whale Challenge Game as a social network phenomena) and cyberbullying, the objective of this article was to display a technical way through which it is possible to identify risks of satellite media that children and adolescents are exposed to them as well as reaching to a result for Iran. Methods: Basically, the research done was a comparative study; therefore, in nature, it called for a qualitative research. So, a descriptive research along with case studies as well as an analytical study were applied too. Distributing questionnaires to get to the final result led to an exploratory research and consequently applying the Mann-Whitney U Test using the SPSS statistics concluded to a quantitative research. The final result can be applied by the related authorities to protect children and adolescents. Therefore this research can be considered as an applied research too. Findings: By comparing five countries which were randomly selected from almost each continent along with Iran, focused on Tehran as a metropolitan counting different ethnic groups, risks of satellite media which have impacts on children and adolescents and were in common among all those countries, were identified by risk management techniques. Then the comparative and analytical studies and appraisals, as well as statistical processes, revealed that Iran’s current media approach and its performance towards children and adolescents are quite different from the other five countries that Iran was compared to. Conclusion: A new technical way to approach risks of satellite media to control them for preventing children and adolescents from any kind of media risks plus a new result for Iran obtained. As an applied research the new result showed that an immediate action is required to regulate media standards for children and adolescents and also to modify the current situation of Iran’s media approach towards them.

THE FIGHT OF PATIENT WITH PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA DISORDER WITH HIS THE PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS: A GAME OF "EVERYTHING OR NOTHING"

Introduction: "Blue whale challenge" is a large social media phenomenon believed to have originated in Russia in 2015. It is supposed to be a "game" in which the "player" receives 50 tasks from an online administrator. Initial tasks are more inclined towards self-harm and antisocial behavior, the final task being suicide. The name is thought to be derived from "failed whales" that suggest suicide.
 Motivation: Although the target audience of this outrages game is mainly adolescents; it has proven to be eminently more harmful among psychiatric patients, of all ages, especially those with psychotic disorders. When psychosis overlaps with an already dangerous online "game", the risks are heightened.
 Objectives: Our case study intends to highlight the risks of a 35-year-old patient, a former police officer, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia about 15 years ago, difficult to control from therapeutic point of view, which is completely immersed in this "game", in which the tasks are on the border between concrete and delirium.
 Methods: Emergency psychiatric hospitalization, medical supervision, daily psychiatric monitoring, psychological evaluation, psychodynamic interview, case study.
 Results: The patient deliriously interprets the rules of the game his current task is to go to three different psychiatrists and to prove his health in order to "release" him from his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. He motivates the objective of the challenge with the Blue Whale the "liberation of the soul", the alternative being suicide. He plays "all or nothing", there are no differences in shades between "Beware of donkeys" (children's game), "Blue whale" and "Russian roulette" (games for real men). The patient himself sees either the garbage man who deserves the lethal injection, or Jesus capable of winning the game. His thinking is dominated by the conflict between the concrete and the abstract; the secret of the paranoid patient being the emphatic ability to transform his powerlessness into "I am invincible!", because for this patient "at first it was the word". When he spoke about his previous tasks, he confessed many acts of violence, pseudo- reminiscence with delirious integration in the form of confabulations. In addition, he believes that everyone receives orders from the Blue Whale, including medical staff, which makes difficult to establish a doctor-patient relationship.

Examining the Self-Harm and Suicide Contagion Effects of the Blue Whale Challenge on YouTube and Twitter: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundResearch suggests that direct exposure to suicidal behaviors and acts of self-harm through social media may increase suicidality through imitation and modeling, particularly in more vulnerable populations. One example of a social media phenomenon that demonstrates how self-harming behavior could potentially be propagated is the blue whale challenge. In this challenge, adolescents and young adults are encouraged to engage in self-harm and eventually kill themselves. ObjectiveThis paper aimed to investigate the way individuals portray the blue whale challenge on social media, with an emphasis on factors that could pose a risk to vulnerable populations.MethodsWe first used a thematic analysis approach to code 60 publicly posted YouTube videos, 1112 comments on those videos, and 150 Twitter posts that explicitly referenced the blue whale challenge. We then deductively coded the YouTube videos based on the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) safe messaging guidelines as a metric for the contagion risk associated with each video.ResultsThe thematic analysis revealed that social media users post about the blue whale challenge to raise awareness and discourage participation, express sorrow for the participants, criticize the participants, or describe a relevant experience. The deductive coding of the YouTube videos showed that most of the videos violated at least 50% of the SPRC safe and effective messaging guidelines.ConclusionsThese posts might have the problematic effect of normalizing the blue whale challenge through repeated exposure, modeling, and reinforcement of self-harming and suicidal behaviors, especially among vulnerable populations such as adolescents. More effort is needed to educate social media users and content generators on safe messaging guidelines and factors that encourage versus discourage contagion effects.

Evaluating News Media Reports on the 'Blue Whale Challenge' for Adherence to Suicide Prevention Safe Messaging Guidelines

The Blue Whale Challenge (BWC) is an online viral "game" that allegedly encourages youth and young adults towards self-harming behaviors that could eventually lead to suicide. The BWC can be situated within a larger phenomenon of viral online self-harm challenges, which may be propagated through both social media and news sources. Research has established that suicide is a global public health issue that is known to be influenced by media reporting. Violation of safe messaging guidelines has been shown to increase imitative suicides, particularly in youth and young adults. Given the confirmed effects of news media reporting, we analyzed 150 digital newspaper articles reporting on the BWC to assess whether they adhered to suicide prevention safe messaging guidelines. Overall, 81% of the articles violated at least one contagion-related guideline, most commonly normalizing suicide, discussing means of suicide, and sensationalizing. Even though the majority (91%) of the articles adhered to at least one health-promotion guideline, such as emphasizing prevention, the articles did not follow these guidelines on a deep and comprehensive level. Through thematic analysis, we also found evidence of potential misinformation in reporting, where the articles unequivocally attributed many suicides to the BWC with little or no evidence. Additionally, articles often stated an individual's reason for participating in the challenge without interviewing the individual or those close to the individual, another aspect of potential misinformation due to lack of evidence. A contribution of the current study is the synthesis of safe messaging guidelines that can be used in future research. This study contributes to the understanding of news reporting practices regarding suicide and self-harm in regard to the BWC and similar online challenges. We discuss how sensationalized news media reports on the BWC could unintentionally propagate suicide contagion effects that normalize self-harming behaviors among youth. We then examine implications for practice and policy, such using automated approaches to aid reporters in adhering to safe messaging guidelines.

An Investigation on the Portrayal of Blue Whale Challenge on YouTube and Twitter

IntroductionSocial media has created opportunities for children to gather social support online (Blackwell et al., 2016; Gonzales, 2017; Jackson, Bailey, & Foucault Welles, 2018; Khasawneh, Rogers,...

Adolescents' Beliefs About Peers' Engagement in an Online Self-Harm Challenge: Exploring the Role of Individual Characteristics Through a Latent Class Analysis.

In the last decade considerable attention has been devoted to the possible contribution of social media, and the Internet generally, to instigating adolescents' engagement in self-harm activities, which are considered the result of a combination of multidimensional variables, such as depression and anxiety. This study aimed to identify, using latent class analysis (LCA), classes homogeneous for adolescents' beliefs about peers' motivations in taking part in the recent Blue Whale Challenge Game, and to analyze the individual predictors (gender, mental health problems, self-harm and risk-taking behaviors, and problematic Internet use) of the adolescent's latent class membership. We performed an LCA using "perceived attraction" and "perceived constraint" as nominal indicators. Relative fit indices suggested the two class solution as the best measurement model: the first class was mostly composed of adolescents who attributed a central role to the adolescent (internal causality), while the second class mostly composed of adolescents who attributed a central role to the recruiters (external causality). In addition, we explored some individual characteristics to test whether they could predict adolescents' class membership. Results suggests that it is significantly more likely for adolescents with higher level of stress and risk-taking to attribute a central role to their peers' internal motivation, rather than to the recruiter, in deciding to take part in the online self-harm challenge game. Implications for preventive interventions are discussed.

Impact of Violent Virtual Gaming on the Mental Standing of Youth

Virtual Games, owing to their graphics, user interface, and addiction amongst youth has become a topic of discussion across the world. widely across. It is believed that only the analytical and intellectual ability of youth gets deteriorated because of virtual gaming. However, the scenario is much broader than one could believe. It traps major stages of youth ability in different aspects. Approx. four per cent of people who play games are addicted to gaming but in the case of youth, it is much severe. Mobile Gaming, Online Gaming and Virtual Dangerous Games were taken up for research on youth from different families and different age groups. The cases of leisure, parental negligence, easy access of smartphones and laptops, introvert nature of youth and its effect on youth’s academic, mental and social imbalance were also considered The recent Blue whale Challenge was identified as one of all-time sinister game. It had 50 tasks to complete in which the players had to do strange tasks and ultimately kill themselves. Hundreds of players got killed but the major victim was the youth of 12-18 years age group. Owing to this youth from the same age group were considered for this research. The research also deals with a live survey on families to acquire the reason of interest in games, the chance of mental degradation, downgrading scores, crime by youth due to game influence. The research also delves into the recently popular game “Player Unknown’s BattleGrounds (PUBG)” and its effect on youth. several graphical representation and logs were used to support the survey

A Study on the Impact of Electronic Media in Relation to Social Awareness among High School Students in Coimbatore District

Electronic media has a powerful impact on everyone’s life today, particularly younger generation of students. They are addicted to electronic media especially the ‘monster’, Internet, mainly through mobile phones. They are totally immersed in the mobile phones being unaware of what is happening around them at that particular moment. Recently, we came across students who played deadly online games like ‘The Blue Whale Challenge’ and ‘Momo’ which ended in taking the life of students. This could have been avoided if the students had avoided the use of internet and if their parents were “media literate”. This was the background of this proposal. The students should spend more time on studies so that they can score good marks, improve their knowledge and understand about the society. The students should be aware of what is happening in and around the society they live in. This can be done by reading daily newspapers and most importantly electronic media like Television, Radio and internet connected mobile phones in a purposeful way. The social problems like honor killings, gender inequality, sanitation and cleanliness, pollution etc and their happenings are easily and quickly available to them. The students should use this opportunity and update themselves and analyze the good and bad effects of each. This proposal studies the impact of electronic media in relation to social awareness among high school students in Coimbatore District.

Temporal and Geographic Patterns of Social Media Posts About an Emerging Suicide Game

PurposeRates of suicide are increasing rapidly among youth. Social media messages and online games promoting suicide are a concern for parents and clinicians. We examined the timing and location of social media posts about one alleged youth suicide game to better understand the degree to which social media data can provide earlier public health awareness. MethodsWe conducted a search of all public social media posts and news articles on the Blue Whale Challenge (BWC), an alleged suicide game, from January 1, 2013, through June 30, 2017. Data were retrieved through multiple keyword search; sources included social media platforms Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, as well as blogs, forums, and news articles. Posts were classified into three categories: individual “pro”-BWC posts (support for game), individual “anti”-BWC posts (opposition to game), and media reports. Timing and location of posts were assessed. ResultsOverall, 95,555 social media posts and articles about the BWC were collected. In total, over one-quarter (28.3%) were “pro”-BWC. The first U.S. news article related to the BWC was published approximately 4 months after the first English language U.S. social media post about the BWC and 9 months after the first U.S. social media post in any language. By the close of the study period, “pro”-BWC posts had spread to 127 countries. ConclusionsNovel online risks to mental health, such as prosuicide games or messages, can spread rapidly and globally. Better understanding social media and Web data may allow for detection of such threats earlier than is currently possible.

The depressed boy who accepted "Blue Whale Challenge".

The depressed boy who accepted "Blue Whale Challenge".

Is the Blue Whale Game among adolescents just a media hype?

Gaming addiction is an emerging public health concern among adolescents from all over the world. Blue Whale Game is an allegedly reported epidemic which involve self-harm of adolescents. Although there have been reported deaths of teenagers which were allegedly related to Blue Whale challenge game across the globe, there has been no confirmed case/evidence till now. This article throws light on the proposed hypothesis and speculation behind the suicide of teenagers and discusses public health interventions at the individual, family, and state levels.

A Comment on "Blue Whale Challenge: Perceptions of First Responders in Medical Profession".

A Comment on "Blue Whale Challenge: Perceptions of First Responders in Medical Profession".