The blue whale came to North Ossetia

Alina Bolataeva

"Blue whale" - this is the name of a deadly game that, like a virus, has taken over social networks. North Ossetia is no exception - posts from children from villages and cities of the republic periodically appear online, talking about their desire to play. The result of the game is known. The curator's last task is commit suicide.

"Blue Whale" tightened its pace

“The blue whale is addictive, there’s a real excitement,” says a 16-year-old resident of North Ossetia who took part in the online game.

Madina’s story, (let’s call her that) Sputnik was told by her older sister.

According to her, the girl started playing “blue whale” out of pure curiosity. As the sister said, the girl was not immediately able to tell the “curator” the reason for wanting to participate in the Internet game. She first wrote that there was no reason to kill herself, and later she invented a reason - the betrayal of a friend.

"About a day before, I read about this game and knew what it was. I often go to its page on in social networks, and then I saw a picture of a blue whale and the hashtag “I’m in the game.” Without talking, I took her phone and looked through all the correspondence,” she shares.

Madina had only been in the game for an hour, but in that short time she had already completed the first task and received a message that the next one would arrive in exactly 24 hours. As the sister said, she immediately deleted all the correspondence and had a serious conversation with her.

“I sat her down next to me, and we talked. I asked her: “After all, you write there that there is no reason to kill yourself, then why did you start playing?”, to which she answered me that they had talked so much about this game that she felt sick. interesting,” added the teenager’s sister.

Despite the fact that the girl had no reason to play, she told her family that the “blue whale” was addictive. “This is just some kind of excitement,” the interlocutor relayed the words of her younger sister.

When asked whether the girl would be banned from accessing the Internet, the sister replied that she did not see the point in this.

"Why ban? If she wants, she can go through someone at school. But now she herself is in fear, she doesn’t even pick up the phone. I scared her a lot, explained that she was being cruel to her parents. Besides, I am now a newborn baby, and due to nervousness my milk disappeared. She saw how the little one was crying... Now she is very ashamed, she constantly asks for forgiveness from the whole family,” says the sister.

Little love, little communication

According to psychologist and psychotherapist Natalya Archegova, children’s participation in suicidal Internet games occurs due to several problems, and not any specific one. The main reasons are the lack of parental attention and love, as well as the lack of socialization of the child in society. Moreover, as the psychologist noted, children feel a lack of attention from their parents precisely when communicating with them.

"Parents feed the child, dress them, do all the functional things. But man is a social being. He needs communication, moral encouragement from mom and dad. If this is not there, children begin to look for support outside the family. Previously it was the street, now it is the Internet" , - said Natalya Archegova.

"Our children are now abandoned in a social sense. Not every family can afford clubs - everything is paid for. We do not have children's organizations, like in the USSR, so everyone is left to their own devices. Children need these organizations that allow them to experience emotions in real life. From “Because of this, teenagers lack something, they become bored. Therefore, it is necessary for children to be constantly busy with something,” the psychologist noted.

If a parent notices that the child is interested in this game, it is important to understand that the prohibitive measure, although not canceled, cannot be the main one. According to her, the best thing that can be done in such a situation is to talk with the child about faith, hope, love, the value of life, to let your child know that he is loved and accepted for who he is. It is very important to speak to him not down to him, but as an equal.

North Ossetia against the "blue whales"

After the spread of hashtags related to “whales” on the Internet, many volunteers have appeared on social networks who are trying to dissuade children from participating in the game. And a page called “rso_protiv_sinix_kitov” appeared on Instagram. The page has existed for less than a week, but, as its creator said, during this time she, along with other caring people, has already dissuaded four teenagers from participating in the virtual game. According to her, many social network users responded to the call to help persuade children to stop playing “blue whale”. Moreover, as the volunteer notes, these are people from different cities and regions.

"We find children who participate and try to dissuade them. Many at some point want to stop playing, but the handlers begin to threaten their loved ones and relatives, and the children begin to panic. Then we try to contact their relatives so that they take action. I also ask you to send links to these curators in order to block their pages,” shares the account creator.

“Curators” blackmail teenagers who want to leave the game. They show awareness of their private life: they indicate IP addresses, geolocation, and voice the names of relatives. As IT technology specialist Alan Salbiev told Sputnik, they take all this data from the network.

"There are several sources of information. Firstly, accounts on social networks. Knowing the details of one account, you can always find a person in other networks by phone number and email address, For example. In addition, links are practiced, by clicking on which the user gives the attacker information about his location and IP address,” Salbiev said.

The creator of the page notes that if a couple of days ago tens of thousands of posts could be found using the hashtags “I want a game” or “bluekit”, now there is not a single one - the administration of the social network within five minutes blocks not only the post itself, but also the account with which it was published. In her opinion, this is very important, since due to the blocking of a potential participant in the game, the curators will not have time to contact him.

In the wake of the killer whale

The Republican branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs previously announced an inspection of online communities that promote suicide among teenagers.

“According to available information disseminated on the Internet about the negative influence of Internet communities that promote the idea of ​​suicide among children and adolescents, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Ossetia-Alania is conducting an inspection of all Internet groups that have a negative impact on users. When such communities and Internet resources are identified , the materials will be sent to Roskomnadzor to resolve the issue of blocking them,” the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported then.

The message also said that, on the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Ossetia, interested parties in the prevention system are currently developing a set of measures to prevent suicidal behavior in minors.

“The police, within the limits of their powers, are working to identify minors who are depressed and in need of help from qualified specialists. educational institutions Explanatory work was organized with teachers and parents in order to inform about the various dangers of social networks. Police also tell teenagers about helpline numbers where children can receive qualified help from specialists if any difficult life situation arises,” the press service added.

Just recently, the whole country was discussing the game of Pokemon. Some people considered this game harmless and even useful, because it involves long walks in the fresh air. Others were sure that with the help of “Pokemon” ill-wishers were watching us day and night. However, very soon they forgot about this game.
Today, “blue whale” is the most discussed game, incomprehensible and scary, judging by what they say and write about it. They talk about “death groups” all around and everywhere; unscheduled events are held in schools. parent meetings, parents frantically check their children’s pages on social networks, but teenagers themselves know most about this game. As they say, those who play this game receive tasks from a “curator”, who every day sends a task that must be completed and supplemented with a photo report.

The first tasks are quite simple: scratch your hand, draw a blue whale, etc. Further, the tasks become more complicated: the curator can “order” to go to the cemetery or do something no less scary for the teenager. One of the penultimate tasks is to get into the loop, but be sure to get out of it. This is how the teenager’s psychological barrier to the fear of death and the last, literally, task is “broken.”
You can identify those playing on social networks by posts “on the wall”, such as: “blue whale”, “quiet house”, “I’m in the game”, “wake me up at 4-20”.
You should also pay attention to the teenager who deleted all his friends, since this is one of the “curator’s” favorite tasks.
Children playing this deadly game draw whales, butterflies, sleep little, wake up very early... All these oddities in the child’s behavior need to be paid the closest attention.

Perhaps children play these games out of loneliness, but most often out of boredom or curiosity - they started playing, but they can’t leave the game. Perhaps the “curator” is blackmailing the child. At this moment, a lot depends on the close environment of the “player,” especially children. Adults sometimes simply do not notice such subtleties. And sometimes an attentive teenager will be able to save a cornered peer from taking an irreparable step.

By the way, it seems that as many “death groups” as there are jokers, judging by the tasks written about by those who joined such a group in order to understand what kind of game this is.

Today, law enforcement agencies are trying by all means to block such “death groups”, to find and prosecute the founders of communities and game creators, bills are being developed that provide for the blocking of such groups and certain types of criminal liability for their creation. However, all these measures take time, and teenagers themselves took the situation into their own hands. Groups are being created to oppose the “death groups”. In these communities, teenagers help those who are “stuck” in the game: they provide support and help in “exiting the game,” they find and block the “Blue Whale” curators. These groups are already gaining popularity; they are approached by both the affected teenagers themselves and their relatives and friends who want to protect the “player” from an irreparable mistake.

Perhaps the overwhelming number of children playing Blue Whale are not going to complete the original plan, but if at least one life is saved thanks to the Antikit groups, then this whole undertaking was not in vain.

In most cases, playing “Blue Whale” is a kind of cry of despair; teenagers are trying to attract attention from friends and parents. Be more attentive to your children; perhaps a simple heart-to-heart conversation will help save your child from trouble.

Dear parents, teachers of educational institutions in the region!

There are three groups on the Internet that promote violence and suicide, including Internet pages advertising the game “Blue Whale”.

BLUE WHALE is a game that is now gaining great popularity among children and teenagers on social networks such as VKontakte, Facebook and others.

This game captivates children and they become addicted to it. She becomes more important to the children than their parents and classmates, and the outcome of the game turns out to be a huge blow for the parents!

The creators of the game pursue the goal of manipulating children and bringing them completely under their control. Teenagers unconsciously and unquestioningly carry out all the tasks of the organizers.

A distinctive feature of the Internet pages is the placement on them, in free access for teenagers, of photographic materials with cuts on the hands in the form of whales, in various ways suicide.

Suicide - deliberate, deliberate taking of one's life can occur if the problem remains relevant and unresolved for several months and the child does not share personal experiences with anyone from his environment.

Be carefull! The idea that people who decide to commit suicide do not tell anyone about their intentions is incorrect.

Most people give some form of warning to others. And children generally do not know how to hide their plans. Conversations like “no one could have predicted” only mean that those around them did not accept or understand the signals being sent.

A child can directly talk about suicide, can talk about the meaninglessness of life, that the world will be better without it. You should be wary of phrases like “I’m tired of everything”, “I hate everyone and myself”, “it’s time to put an end to everything”, “when will all this end”, “it’s impossible to live like this”, questions “what would you do if I were gone?” ?, discussions about funerals. An alarming signal is an attempt to pay off all debts, make peace with enemies, give away your things, especially with the mention that he will not need them.

In addition to those listed, there are several more signs that a child is ready for suicide, and if 1-2 of them appear, special attention should be paid:

  • loss of interest in favorite activities, decreased activity, apathy, lack of will;
  • neglect of one's own appearance, sloppiness;
  • the emergence of a craving for solitude, distance from loved ones;
  • sudden mood swings, inadequate reaction to words, causeless tears, slow and unexpressive speech;
  • sudden decline in performance and absent-mindedness;
  • bad behavior at school, absenteeism, violations of discipline;
  • propensity for risk and unjustified and reckless actions;
  • health problems: loss of appetite, poor health, insomnia, nightmares;
  • indifferent parting with things or money, giving them away;
  • the desire to put things in order, take stock, ask for forgiveness for everything that happened;
  • jokes and ironic statements or philosophical reflections on the topic of death.

Considering that the number of minors susceptible to negative influence via the Internet is growing every day, we recommend that parents carefully check their personal computers and mobile phones. electronic devices your children!

In case you need help or have information about those affected dangerous game For teenagers (your peers) living in the district, please contact the district administration’s “helpline” at 2-73-04.

Legal department of the administration

Sergei Pestov from Ryazan tragically lost his 16-year-old daughter Diana in January 2016. She was a member of one of the online “death groups.”

After Diana's death, her father and other parents, whose children in one way or another suffered from psychological manipulation on social networks, created a public organization "Saving Children from Cybercrime" .

“We analyzed all the data that we had and decided that we need to start counteracting the virtual danger ourselves,” says Sergei.

According to Sergei, there are now recruiters for dangerous groups not only on VKontakte. They began to show themselves on Instagram and Twitter. After the child joins the game, the curators transfer the children to instant messengers: WhatsApp, Viber and others.

Recently, Sergey Pestov and his colleagues in a public organization discovered the game in the mobile application store. You need to leave a request in the comments below, it will be reviewed and they will give (or not give) a link leading directly to the “death groups.” Information about this has already been transferred to the Investigative Committee.

What is the self-interest of the organizers of such mass death games? Sergei Pestov says that they are economically justified, but how, he cannot say - this is an area of ​​investigation by law enforcement agencies.

Sergei speaks of law enforcement agencies with great respect. He says that the public organization he heads receives help from the Investigative Committee, the criminal investigation department, and anti-extremism groups.

“They do their job well, including preventive work.” But VKontakte has more than 300 million pages, and many children have several accounts registered there. Specialists are working, but the situation can change dramatically only when the legislation changes,” says Pestov.

What should parents do?

“If parents have any suspicions that something is happening to the child, that he is in danger, it is better to take all possible measures to protect him,” says Sergei.

Not only “parental control” of the Internet will help. Sergey Pestov also offers:

– view all Internet browsers accessible to children, click on links;

– all the child’s available pages on social networks, find out what content is there (music, video, photos, social circle);

– take control of the SIM cards used by the child;

– establish contact with the parents of those children with whom the child communicates.

“Don’t hesitate to contact psychologists or psychiatrists,” says Sergei. – This is often justified and necessary. Often parents do not want to seek such help, fearing psychiatric registration and a “stain for life.” But, it seems to me, it is better to choose life rather than death of a child.

A child will not cross the line if he has a trusting relationship with his parents. You need to try to establish them - without this nothing will work.

“When children grow up, they begin to try the world on themselves, fall into youthful maximalism, contradict adults, and become strangers,” says Sergei. – Transitional age is a difficult age, and this is precisely what recruiters take advantage of. The child, of course, has the right to self-determination. But it is very important for parents not to lose at least the thin thread connecting them with their child.

What to do if an ordinary social network user sees a page with suspicious tags and poems?

Sergey Pestov advises:

1. The easiest way is to contact the support service on VKontakte. They are required to accept the signal for consideration and block account.

2. The same can be done via special feedback form in Roskomnadzor related to blocking pages on the Internet.

3. A method aimed at helping a child: take screenshots of the page, copy the link. Call your local police department and report your find. You need to ask the person on duty for the name and number of the accepted application. A police officer should contact you, collect the information and transfer it to special units for further work.