Kerala govt will urge Centre to ban Blue Whale challenge in India: Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday said it would ask the Centre to ban the online ‘Blue Whale’ game in the country, citing reports of a large number of children getting addicted to the game that was allegedly abetting their suicide worldwide. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while replying to a submission in the Assembly, said the state police had already issued necessary alerts to make parents vigilant about the game and to ensure that children do not get addicted. [caption id=“attachment_3910967” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Quoting various reports, he said a large number of children and teenagers were getting addicted to the ‘Blue Whale’ game. “It is the responsibility of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (ICERT) to take necessary action in this regard. We will ask the Centre to ban the Blue Whale game in the country,” Vijayan said. Taking up the issue, Raju Abraham MLA (CPM) said around 2000 children had already downloaded the “dangerous game” in Kerala, as per reports. “Over 4000 children are said to have committed suicide due to this dangerous game worldwide. There were reports that a 14-year-old boy recently ended his life in Mumbai due to the influence of Blue Whale (game). It has now arrived in our state also,” he said. The legislator also said many countries had already banned this computer game and wanted the state government to take necessary steps to regulate it in Kerala. District police in Kollam had launched a campaign against the game, Abraham said, adding, a coordinated effort of school and college managements, police and organisations is needed to safeguard children from its influence. The Blue Whale Game also "Blue Whale Challenge" is an Internet "game" allegedly comprising a series of tasks assigned to players by administrators during a 50-day period, with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide.