Local school districts warning of “Blue Whale Challenge”
By Kirsten Glavin
@kirstenglavin
PROVIDENCE, RI – Several school districts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts are sending home letters to parents, warning of a new game on social media that encourages children to commit suicide.
Aileen McDonough, is a parent of two and board member at BASICS in Cranston, an after school program that offers activities for kids. McDonough was one of the many parents, Thursday, that received a warning letter from the Cranston Superintendent about the game, called “The Blue Whale Challenge.”
JEANNINE NOTA–MASSE
SUPERINTENDENT
May 11, 2017
Dear Parents of Cranston Public Schools,
I send this letter to inform everyone of a very serious concern that is impacting our school community.
Additionally, I ask for your support in our collaborative effort to better educate and monitor our students in regard to this issue. The concern is the use of social media and the adverse effects it can have on our students. As you know, the use of social media is not a part of our BYOD (bring your own device) policy and our faculty continues to work diligently to enforce the acceptable use of technology in our schools.
A major concern being identified is the communications (in many cases via anonymous accounts) that are being sent and received among our students outside of school hours on various social media sites. Schools are unable to monitor these out-of-school communications and have no control over how often and for what reasons social media sites are being used by our students. While this is something that we cannot change, it is my hope that upon reading this you will have a conversation with your child about what social media outlets they are accessing and how much time they are spending on these sites or apps. More importantly, please remind your children of the ramifications that can occur from cyberbullying or digital abuse and how this negatively impacts individual students as well as the entire school community.
Unfortunately, the latest examples of this is a potentially deadly game called the “Blue Whale Challenge” and also the recent media coverage regarding Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” The “Blue Whale Challenge,” is a challenge posted on social media to harm yourself for 50 days, resulting in suicide. Teenagers are supposed to tag each other on social media, primarily SnapChat, and then challenge each other to participate in this dangerous “game.” “13 Reasons Why” is a Netflix series that has generated much controversy as a result of its content regarding bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape and suicide. Please be aware of inappropriate social media use that could be occurring outside of school. We encourage you to talk with you child(ren) about appropriate and safe use of technology and social media. If you feel you child is affected by inappropriate social media behaviors, their own or others’, which could result in an unsafe situation, immediately contact the police and/or seek out an appropriate medical/mental health professional.
Please know that your support in helping to address this is extremely important and appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jeannine Nota-Masse
"We feel fear,” said McDonough. “We want so badly to protect our children, and to know that there’s something like this out there… and there’s basically someone that’s targeting our children, especially when they’re most vulnerable, is really scary for parents."
In The Blue Whale Challenge, kids are told different ways to harm themselves for 50 consecutive days. On the final day, the task is the kill themselves.
"I think that it’s evil. It’s pure evil,” said McDonough.
The Seekonk school district also sent out a warning to parents on Thursday.
"Parents have every reason to be concerned,” Denise Panichas, Executive Director of The Samaritans of Rhode Island, told ABC6 News Thursday evening. Panichas said she is encouraging all parents to sit down and talk about the game with their kids.
"Ask children more about The Blue Whale Challenge so that you become a partner in learning more about it,” she said.
The Blue Whale Challenge reportedly started in Russia as a phone app. It took users personal information, and used it to blackmail the players into completing the tasks provided. The app has since been blocked from many carriers, but according to reports, kids are still playing on social media outlets like Snapchat.
Parents like McDonough are left worried.
"Hopefully this will go away, but that doesn’t mean that the next big thing isn’t right around the corner that we have to watch for,” she said.
For more information about suicide prevention, visit: http://www.samaritansri.org/
