Have you ever heard of the Blue Whale Challenge?
It is an online game that teens are playing and it is apparently encouraging them to commit suicide and so far, two families in the United States are blaming the game for the deaths of their children.
Jorge Gonzalez, a father from Texas, said he and his family had no idea that their son, Isaiah, was making plans to end his life.
Isaiah’s body was found on the morning of July 8 – he had hung himself in his closet.
Before ending his life, Isaiah had propped his cell phone up against a shoe so his death could be streamed live.
The Blue Whale Challenge takes place over a period of weeks, and there are a series of 50 dares that include self-mutilation, drinking bleach, and listening to strange music.
The last dare is to commit suicide. Predators target teenaged participants through internet chat rooms and social media apps.
According to the New York Daily News, participants are often threatened into playing the game.
Jorge had talked to Isaiah about the game once he learned of it and Isaiah told him he wouldn’t participate.
Jorge is warning parents about the Blue Whale Challenge – he is urging parents to check their child’s cell phone and look at their social media pages.
Isaiah had reportedly sent images of himself completing the challenges to friends, who thought it was a joke.
Isaiah’s life could have been spared had more people known.
