Texas Parents Blame Teens’ Suicide on Online Game

blue whale

A social media game, one of several found in social media groups of suicidal or depressed teens in the last few years, is part of why two teens killed themselves, Texas parents say.

Called “Blue Whale,” “Silent House”  or  “4:20 Countdown” (“blue whale” supposedly for the animals tendency to fatally beach itself), the game or games have roots in Russia allegedly, where reports have linked it with several social media groups on VK, the Russian Facebook, frequented by depressed or suicidal teens. An arrest was made in Russia over a similar game for inciting suicide.

Supposedly, up to 130 suicides in Russia were associated in some way with the game– however, such groups where it is found attract teens already depressed or suicidal, so claims of it being an actual cause of suicide outside a few cases seem specious and oversimplified. A 21-year-old Russian, as explained at the above link, was arrested for inciting several teenage girls to commit suicide through a game called “Sea of Whales” he administered, a 50-day task-performing game that ends with suicide. The game seems to have possibly been taken up through the grapevine on social media by others both administrators creating their own version and participants but there is no overarching organization.

Texas parents this week said the game played a role in their son’s suicide.

The Washington Post reports:

“Fifteen-year-old Isaiah Gonzalez was a soon-to-be sophomore who just joined the ROTC program at his high school. But on Saturday, Gonzalez’s father, Jorge, stepped into his son’s bedroom in their San Antonio home. Isaiah was dead, hanging from the closet, an apparent suicide. Next to his body was a cellphone propped up on a shoe, broadcasting the suicide, according to KSAT.

If the teenager’s sudden suicide wasn’t tragic enough, the Gonzalez family quickly learned Isaiah’s end was possibly tied to a macabre online spectacle known as the Blue Whale Challenge.

Essentially a dangerous personal obstacle course of 50 daily tasks that include everything from watching horror films to self-mutilation, the game is rumored to be behind unexpected deaths across the globe. But because the challenge plays out on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, the reality is hard to prove. In fact, due to the extreme premise alone, some says it’s just an Internet hoax invented to frighten parents and other adults.”

The claims of the danger of the game, at least, do raise questions about whether or not it and similar suicide-friendly media like “13 Reasons Why,” a Netflix documentary arguably pro-suicide, are things parents should be concerned about.

Suicide in general and teen suicide especially have been on the rise in America.

Suicide remains the second-leading cause of death for children between the ages ten to 19. According to the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, 48 people in that age group completed suicide in 2015, compared to 32 in 2011.

That doesn’t count the number of teens who have attempted suicide or have considered it. In Knox County, for example, according to TSPN, more than six percent of high school students have tried to die by suicide while 14.5 percent have thought about it.

An expert, Lori Ramey, from the Helen Ross McNabb, said that while every case is different social media may play a role in the increase, as well as depression, isolation, and bullying. Reaching out and staying aware of warning signs are important ways to prevent it.

“I think all of it has shifted in that our pace is very quick, so as parents, as teachers, as coaches, as friends everything is moving so quickly and children may not have that consistent support that they need,” Ramey, Director of Crisis Services for the Helen Ross McNabb Center, told WATE last year.

“Common warning signs would be withdrawal, maybe a change in sleep pattern, appetite,” Ramey said. “Just a really big change can trigger for a child that negative thinking pattern that could be harmful.”

Other indicators include: changes in behavior, talking about death and giving away prized possessions, as well as becoming disinterested in favorite activities.

The TSPN has information about how to handle a situation and what do if you believe your teen is at risk here.