The 'Blue Whale Challenge' Is Being Blamed for Teen Suicides—But What Is It?

The so-called "Blue Whale Challenge" has appeared in a number of headlines related to teen suicides.

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The so-called "Blue Whale Challenge" has seen a significant spike in headline appearances in recent weeks, but what is it?

An extensive CNNreport Monday outlined the suicide of a 16-year-old identified only as Nadia (her real name is being protected at the family's request) and detailed the teen's possible involvement in some facets of the challenge. Another teen suicide, this time in Texas, was picked up by the Washington Post (and others) earlier this month and also mentioned concerns about the mysterious challenge.

Texas teen Isaiah Gonzalez, 15, was discovered by his father Jorge at their San Antonio home "dead, hanging from the closet, an apparent suicide." A phone was propped up nearby on a shoe, reportedly having broadcast the act. Gonzalez's family, local outlet News 4 San Antonioreported, told reporters they believe his death was linked to the Blue Whale Challenge. In a subsequent statement, an FBI spokesperson clarified that the San Antonio Police Department had not verified that the challenge was a factor in the teen's death.

In the CNNreport on Nadia's death, photos and sketches related to Blue Whale lore are included as signs of her involvement. Nadia even did a series of abstract "blue whale skeletons" paintings, which were framed and displayed, for a school project. "It's a real thing," her brother, Marty, said. "I lost my sister to it, or at least part of it. There needs to be awareness. People need to know; parents need to know, to look for signs, to monitor their kids a little better." The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has since opened a Child Fatality Review into Nadia's death. Nadia's death is cited as the "first case in Georgia" with a possible connection to Blue Whale, though nothing has been confirmed.

The origins of Blue Whale—and, exactly, what the challenge itself entails—are difficult to pin down. A Snopesbreakdown last updated in May traces early English-language news stories on the alleged suicide challenge back to February 2017. The early wave of Blue Whale stories, seemingly, stem from what Snopes cites as a "misinterpretation" of a 2016 story from Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta. A follow-up report from Meduzaexplained that Novaya Gazeta's report placing blame on Blue Whale-related social media groups missed the likelier possibility that suicidal individuals were instead drawn to the same groups, not that the groups themselves were causing them to commit the act.

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Players in the game, according to initial reports, agree to follow a set of instructions—alleged to include self-mutilation—over the course of 50 days. Purportedly, the final instruction is to commit suicide. The challenge's name has been tied in several reports to both a lyric from a Russian rock band and the idea of blue whales intentionally beaching themselves.

Whether initially conceived as a hoax or not, the Blue Whale phenomenon now has some parents concerned here in the States. Instagram has put up automated warning messages for users attempting to use Blue Whale-related hashtags, and preemptive parental alerts have been shared by school officials in states such as California and Alabama. Dr. Dan Reidenberg of the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education toldCNN that parents should be mindful of their children's online behavior but urged caution in perpetuating a nationwide panic. According to Dr. Reidenberg, this is "not yet a crisis, rather a caution to alert people in advance."

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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