Consultant Psychiatrist
The trending online suicide game ‘The Blue Whale Challenge‘ has kept the parents on their toes keeping an eye if the child is waking up at 4.20 am or writing online status of being ‘a whale’ or scribbling on the hands. The game is known to everyone but here Dr. Bhargavi Chatterjea, explains the psychological part of the game and the impact on the teenagers.
The Blue Whale Challenge and the suicides linked to it has taken the world by storm. Everyone is perplexed and they are wondering, “How could someone do that?” The adults are thinking, “Today’s youth are so reckless. They are addicted to smartphones and video games. No wonder they are driven to suicide. Unscrupulous people are always trying to exploit the vulnerability of teenagers.” The teenagers are thinking, “Those kids must be weirdos. I’d never do that. I love having a good time with friends.”
So, are these teenagers really ‘weird’ or are they just normal teenagers caught up in the inextricable deep web? Let us find out.
First, let us peep into the brain of a teenager. Their brain is developing as they are growing up. But, the development is not uniform. We will focus only on two areas of the brain, the reward center, and the forebrain. The reward center is fully developed in teenagers. So, they appreciate the rewards associated with drugs, drinks, bungee jumping, basically anything that gives them the adrenaline rush. But their forebrain is yet to develop. So they lack planning, judgment, and control of their behavior. Adults do not engage in risk-taking behaviors as much as teenagers do.
No wonder, teenagers are vulnerable to the “Blue Whale Challenge”. They are thrill-seeking, the word ‘challenge’ fires up their brain. We all have done ‘silly things’ when we were younger, and we have all accepted challenges. Teenagers are thrill-seekers and in their minds challenge equals thrill. So, maybe they were just surfing the internet, or they were just curious about this challenge when they heard about it from friends. They accept the challenge and learn too late that “there is no going back.” Powerful situational forces overwhelm them.
The Blue Whale Challenge employs some simple principles borrowed from psychology. But first, let me briefly outline the game. It consists of fifty tasks or challenges. They include tasks like waking up at 4.20 a.m., telling your best friend that you hate him, watching scary movies and announcing to the public that you are a whale. Gradually you become alienated from society. You need to cut yourself or stick safety pins in your cheek, take photos and send it to the administrator. If at any point you try to quit, the administrator blackmails you. He tells you that you cannot quit. He says he has all the information and will destroy you and your family The Blue Whale Challenge culminates in suicide. You need to upload a photo of yourself in social media just before the final act of suicide.
What role does psychology play in this? This challenge uses powerful tools of persuasion like low-ball technique. When you entered the challenge, you did not know that you cannot quit the game. It was later added to the game when you thought about quitting. Second, it uses the concept of obedience. Milgram’s studies on obedience demonstrated that people can go to the extreme of killing other people if asked to do so by an authority figure. In the Blue Whale Challenge, the administrators act as authority figures. You have to send photos to them, sort of report your progress. He is shrouded in mystery and appears all-powerful specifically with the threats of blackmail. And finally, it uses the principle of addiction.
It sounds strange, but cutting oneself can be addictive. It may be hard to believe, but the sight of blood and the physical pain associated with it can relieve mental tension. Well, smoking for the first
time can make you feel uncomfortable. The very first cup of tea or the first cup of coffee tasted bitter. Same with beer. Yet, people love their cigars, or beer or coffee, don’t they? These help to beat stress.
Repeated episodes of cutting oneself tend to remove the inhibition of injuring oneself. The first time is difficult. Subsequent attempts become easier. And, gradually they work it up to the climax, suicide. In fact for smoking cessation, people are encouraged to fix a date and announce it on social media. Then it becomes difficult to get back to smoking again. In the Blue Whale Challenge, this principle has been turned on its head. Teenagers are given a date for suicide and they have to announce that they are a Whale in social media. Psychologically, it becomes difficult for them to withdraw.
Slowly and inevitably, the fun-loving, thrill-seeking, risk-taking teenager is enmeshed in the net of the deep web. They are alienated from the society, they feel that they cannot escape their fate. The entire Challenge is plotted in such a way that it gradually works up to the climax. It is a battle of nerves, the fellow whales and the administrator gradually building up the pressure. The victims feel that the administrator has total control over their lives. This is uncannily similar to the mass suicides influenced by leaders of cults. As the Blue Whale Challenge uses social media as a platform, the magnitude of spread is vast.
I wish the teenagers could just pause and reflect. It is true that digital footprints can be traced, but it is not easy for the administrator to destroy him and his family. There is a world outside of the digital world. They can turn to their parents and friends for help. The police are there to protect them. But, as emotional and vulnerable as they are, they do not consider these options. They have been persuaded by the lowball technique, they have tasted what addiction to cutting oneself is like. They feel that they must obey the instructions of the authority figure, the mysterious administrator. Step by step, by completing the challenges they have actually moved closer and closer to their ultimate goal. Finally, at one point they cannot take it anymore. Their coping resources are exhausted. The emotional pressure is just too much to bear. The only exit option is suicide. That is the final point where the psychological game ends.
