Father Issues Warning To Parents After Son Dies In Online Suicide Game
By Michele
A father whose son died after apparently taking part in a sinister online suicide 'game' has issued a warning to parents.
Conor Wilmot, 13, is believed to have died after taking part in the twisted Blue Whale Challenge, which gives children different tasks online to perform over 50 days before eventually killing themselves.
His body was found by his dad, Greg, in a field near his home in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, Ireland on May 11.
He believes he found something on the Internet which led to his death.
Mr Wilmot believes his son found this game on the Internet which resulted in his death. He is reminding parents of the dark side of the internet and how deeply their children can be embedded in virtual worlds.
'Parents nowadays do not realise how much their children are into the world of virtual reality where, to them, everything is reality,' Mr Wilmot told the Irish Mirror.
'They find it hard to discern between the two and I don't see how we are going to tackle this as a major problem. Any nutcase can post terrible things on social media,' he said.
Police in Ireland have now seized Conor's mobile phone and computer to investigate whether he had been involved in the Blue Whale Challenge before he died.
The twisted 'game' has already been linked to 130 teenage deaths in Russia and there are now concerns that it has also hit UK and US schools.
It is spread through social media, it preys on vulnerable children and then pushes them to injure themselves and commit suicide.
The Blue Whale Challenge is a vicious, viral game which players are assigned daily tasks by an administrator, which they have 50 days to complete.
Some are trivial - e.g. watching a horror movie and waking up in the early hours - but others are horrifying including self harm.
The tasks get more and more dangerous and extreme, with some scoring the shape of a whale into their skin on their arm.
On the 50th day, they are encouraged to take their own lives.
Instagram recently placed a warning page in place that users are redirected to when searching phrases that are commonly associated to the game.0
Learn more about the game in the video below along with tips on how to help keep our kids safe.
It can feel impossible to keep up with the ever-changing teen crazes, but as parents, this is something we cannot ignore. Talk to your kids today about this challenge, and be proactive about staying in the loop. We don’t have to violate our kids’ privacy to know what’s going on among their peers. We have to be educated on what they’re facing, and we can’t be afraid to have the tough conversations—because our kids and their lives are worth it.
Share this to make other parents aware of this danger..
sources: Daily Mail / Mirror.co.uk
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