The Blue Whale Challenge And Manipulation of The Teenage Brain

The Blue Whale Challenge And Manipulation of The Teenage Brain

The Blue Whale Challenge is an app in which the user Is assigned 50 tasks. The 50th task is to commit suicide. It may sound crazy, but teenagers are up for this challenge because everything happens under the false label of a ‘game.’

As soon as the word ‘game’ enters the picture, teenagers perceive the challenge as fun and adventurous, instead of seeing it as the danger it really is1 The tasks on the app are very strategically targeted towards the teenage population, as the developers of the app (known as whales) are well aware of the fact that teenage minds are easy to manipulate.

Inclination Of Teenagers Towards The Game

Teenagers have the physical energy of a child and the brains of a soon- to-be-adult and therefore, they are willing to experience things which challenge their thrill-seeking abilities and the will to deal with danger.

A majority of teenagers are up for the tasks mentioned on the app, because the locus of control is purely internal and they feel they can pull themselves out of anything, any moment and this confidence itself takes them deeper into games like the Blue Whale Challenge. Such teenagers can be classified as the adventurous, thrill-seeking ones and also the depressed ones.

The adventurous ones do It for the thrill, while the depressed ones use these tasks as an escape from the bitter reality of their life.

There is a very thin line between adventure and danger, as the game has been systematically planned to gradually fade that line and put the teen playing it, into danger.

While the motive of the creator of the app remains unknown, it is pretty clear that the Blue Whale Challenge Is an attempt to sway teenagers of the world, into doing undesirable things.

Lending A Helping Hand

  • In order to curb the menace caused by the app, mental health practitioners need to always be on the lookout for signs of depression and signs that one might be attempting the Blue Whale Challenge.
  • It ¡s important for psychologists to create awareness amongst parents about this game, so that they can detect signs in the habits and the whereabouts of their child.
  • Seminars and workshops stating the importance of life and how to tackle depression could also help to a great extent.
  • Additionally, online portals are of great help in giving patients access to specialists from any place in the world, to share their dilemmas and thereby seek help for their concerns and mental worries.

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