The ghostly game, the Blue Whale, arrived in the Balkan: Children receive these messages with disturbing challenges, the final step is suicide (PHOTO) (VIDEO)

A dangerous game that encourages children to suicide, which is written about in foreign media for months, has arrived to Croatia.

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Sick game is called the "Blue whale" and it comes from Russia, and worried parents of children in elementary schools in Zagreb called Index.hr whose children received disturbing messages over WhatsApp, which are mentioning the game.

Seven year old girl from elementary school in Zagreb got scared when messages started arriving to her phone, with warnings that 130 children in Russia killed themselves over the game. Even though there has been no official record of any child killing themselves, that is the data used to scare the children.

- I got the message that it is cutting veins on the hand in the shape of a whale. I erased the message. Most of the class got the message and we all erased that - revealed the girl we were presented as Lusiju.

The message certain children received is written: "God forbid that you install it because you are done for. That means if you enter a picture of a blue whale or a hashtag blue whale or something like that, you get questions are you feeling bad? They will know all of your personal stuff. What are the names of your parents and so on. They will threaten that they will kill your parents (which they really will) and that one of the challenge will be to wake up in 4:20 in the morning, and the other to watch horror movies the entire day. And then it goes to the worse".

Foto: Telegraf

It is further mentioned that children that play the sick "game" get one of the challenges to cut their hands and make shapes of a blue whale, and the last challenge is to kill themselves. The game lasts 50 days.

POLICE HAS BEEN INFORMED 

We contacted police and they confirmed they have the information about the international phenomena of spreading the dangerous online game which is used under the name Blue Whale.

Members of the Croatian police called everybody who have any solid knowledge about the users of this game or any similar game, to let the police know immediately. 

Everybody who joined the game and got the disturbing messages to hurt themselves or received threats that someone will kill their parents, are being asked to screenshot the phone and to deliver it to the police, so they could trace the ones issuing orders.

Police say that it is important to let the youth know they can talk to police officials, who work in every police stations and who are specially trained to have conversation with children and young, and they are there to help them.

Foto: Telegraf

WARNING FROM POLICE 

- We take this opportunity to draw attention to the need for special tact in media reporting about a new manifestation of endangering the welfare of children participating in these games.

Whit exposure to information about the various new trends about which they learn from the media and environments of social networks, children and young people are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of life experience, their curiosity and manageability, and as such can be uncritically put in risky situations, and it is necessary to take that into account with media coverage of the public - warn the police.

And immediately upon receipt of any messages and guidance on dangerous activities young people should contact the police, confirmed a spokeswoman for Children Ivana Milas Klaric. She pointed out that they are familiar with this game, so far only through the media, and they have not met the specific applications with Croatian areas.

Foto-ilustracija: Profimedia/Alamy

APPEAL FOR THE PARENTS

Index.hr spoke with psychologist Tea Brezinscak from the Institute for the Protection of Children and Youth of the City of Zagreb, who pointed out that the Internet opens the door to a variety of facilities and persons, which can be risky. In doing so, he notes, children are particularly vulnerable because they are just learning how to discern the exact contents of the false, how to recognize potentially dangerous content and contacts, so it is important to present them in a right way how to protect themselves.

She said that the support of parents, teachers and other important people to them is unavoidable.

- The alleged occurrence of risky online content recently reminded us of what is actually always important to keep in mind nowadays, and that is the importance of developing the criticality of children as opposed to online content and contact with the people they encounter on the Internet, as well as education about skills of its safe use.

We can not completely prevent the child encountering a problematic online content, but he/she should be strengthened in order to know how to face them and to encourage them talk about them if they come in contact with them.

Parents usually attach the most attention to aggressive and developmentally inappropriate content, but the content should not be ignored that could lead to anxiety and intimidation of the child and those who advocate unwanted and sometimes harmful behaviors and attitudes - said Tea Brezinscak.

It is essential, according to local experts, for parents to exercise constant control over children's Internet use and develop sufficient level of trust with the child, as they would not hide from their parents what is going on in their life.

Художества на уроке башкирского#явигре Кит весьма жирный...ну и ладно( pic.twitter.com/Q5jM362I10

—Ğãlwãy Ğĩrĺ (@Unicorn_SPN_) February 22, 2017

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARENTS

Center for secure Internet issued a statement related to that game and told the parents what they can do to prevent the inclusion of the child in this and / or similar games on social networks:

- Talk to your child about school problems

- listen to them without judgment

- when you can, praise your child and let them know that you see their virtues

- show interest and ask your child to introduce you to the world of young people online

- search the Internet for information on content and the game that children play on the Internet

- Teach children how to safely use modern technology and who to contact in case of ambiguities or problems

- if you notice that the child is aware of or involved in some dangerous challenges to social networks such as 'Blue Whale' talk with him about this phenomenon, explain what it is and point to the manipulative nature of the game

- ask for the advice of the experts if you have any doubts or problems

Let us recall, this game after Russia began to spread and to the rest of the world, Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan, Brazil, England and Spain. Although it was not officially connected anywhere that 130 young people in Russia killed  themselves because of this game, the Russian authorities arrested 21-year-old Philip Budeikina late last year, who is considered to be the creator of the game and who is responsible for the suicide of 17 young people in Russia.

Despite all the warnings and the media warning of the dangers of this game, it continues to be played by a large number of young people both in Russia and in Argentina and Spain, which can be seen through various social networks.

(Telegraf.co.uk)