Police
in Britain have warned parents about a sick social media 'suicide game' which
has been blamed for the deaths of teenagers in Russia.
The
so-called Blue Whale challenge calls on participants to complete a dangerous
self-harm challenge every day for 50 days before they are encouraged to 'win'
the 'game' by killing themselves.
The
'game' is based on social media and is reportedly being investigated in Russia
as a possible factor in the recent deaths of two teenage girls.
Police
officers in Britain are now posting warnings on Twitter and other platforms to
alert parents, Cornwall Live reported.
Devon
and Cornwall Police PSCSO Kirsty Down wrote on Twitter: "Who ever created
this horrible game is sick! Parents: Please be aware of this 'game' talk to
your children about it if concerned".
Similar
warnings have been issued elsewhere in Europe, including Belgium, where three
cases were opened this week, and France.
The
challenge is thought to be named after the common belief that blue whales
voluntarily wash up on beaches to die.
As
part of the 'game' the self-harm tasks are set out by an
"administrator" of a group on social media.
According
to Russian media reports the tasks range from everything such as watching a
scary movie and deliberately cutting a body part to listening to a certain song
or avoiding conversation for an entire day.
Last
month a report by Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta claimed the 'game' or
similar versions of it had been linked to at least 80 of 130 recent teen
suicides .
However
an investigation by Radio Free Europe found that none of the deaths has been
definitively linked to the Blue Whale challenge.
Last
month two Russian schoolgirls fell to their deaths from a 14-storey apartment
building, and a third was critically injured after falling from a flat in a
different city.
Police
were reportedly investigating whether a social media 'suicide game' was to
blame for the deaths of students Yulia Konstantinova, 15, and Veronika Volkova,
16.
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