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Reports are circulating in the media of vulnerable people being encouraged to take their own lives by following a series of online challenges.

In Russia, the deaths of some teenagers have been linked to the 'Blue Whale' challenge - though these reports have not been confirmed.

The idea is that individuals are invited to complete a number of tasks within a 50-day period. The tasks become increasingly harmful and end with the individual being challenged to take their own life.

There is concern that the idea is spreading around the world on social media networks.

With questions over whether or not the Blue Whale challenge actually exists, and with no confirmed link between the deaths in Russia and Blue Whale, how concerned should you be?

What is Blue Whale?

There is some confusion about the origin of Blue Whale, but the title is believed to be a reference to an act carried out by some blue whales, who appear to beach themselves on purpose, causing them to die.

The name is apparently being used by an alleged online pressure group, which is said to assign a curator to individual participants who then encourages them to complete tests over the course of 50 days.

These assigned tasks reportedly escalate from straightforward demands such as watching a macabre video or horror film to something more sinister - even leading to suicide.

Unfortunately it is not unusual for teenagers to be drawn to social media groups that ultimately have a detrimental effect on their mental health.

The online group associated with the Blue Whale reports is said to have thousands of members and subscribers on Facebook and YouTube.

The name has cropped up in countries including Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Portugal, France and the UK.

How worried should I be?

Although authorities in Russia are reportedly investigating links between the suicides of a number of teenagers and online pressure groups, there have been no confirmed reports of links to Blue Whale.

What police are looking for in these criminal investigations are previous conversations between the deceased and social media users that may have had an influence on any actions taken.

There are also reports of suicide cases being investigated in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan, with a focus on links to internet groups.

How can I spot the signs?

Children's advice groups such as the NSPCC can offer guidance on how to detect signs of online grooming - the building of an emotional connection to gain trust - and how to protect your child and prevent the situation from escalating.

There are a number of possible signs, but they are not always obvious because offenders exercise discretion in order to avoid being detected or identified.

Among the most common signs to watch out for include children who:

become very secretive, especially about what they are doing online

are spending a lot of time on the internet and social media

are switching screens on their device when approached

are withdrawn or angry after using the internet or sending text messages

have lots of new phone numbers or email addresses on their device

What should I do?

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop), a UK government agency, points out that sometimes change in a child's behaviour is completely normal and it is important not to overreact.

Having a calm and open conversation, Ceop says, is an effective way of determining the cause of any behavioural change, tackling any concerns head-on and offering support and reassurance.

An education programme set up by the organisation, ThinkUKnow, also says that it should be made clear to the individual when approached that any discussion is not going to result in punishment.

Children, it says, often avoid reporting their own concerns if they believe that their internet access will be revoked, for example.

Another UK-based advice group, Get Safe Online, told the BBC that it was aware of the "horrific" Blue Whale reports and said that it was unfortunate that groups were "willing to abuse these platforms".

The chief executive, Tony Neate, said dialogue was essential for addressing issues of peer pressure if a child is "acting strangely".

"It will allow them to take a step back, away from the pressures," he said, adding that this will help them to realise that it is "not something they have to, or should, be taking part in".

Mr Neate also advised against "blanket bans" on internet use and said that the importance of privacy settings should be explained to all users.

He said that speaking openly to other parents and teachers can help raise awareness of potential online threats and "open the path for other instances to be reported".

"Never shy away from reporting something that has occurred online to the police if you think your child, or someone else's child is in danger," Mr Neate said.

"This is how we can warn others and make sure teenagers don't get caught up in horrific games like this."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Should you be worried about 'Blue Whale'?

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Reports are circulating in the media of vulnerable people being encouraged to take their own lives by following a series of online challenges. In Russia, the deaths of some teenagers have been linked to the 'Blue Whale' challenge - though these reports have not been confirmed.

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Cyber-bullying may be emotional,racist or sexual forms of abuse and it happens through emails,phone calls or text messages also by taking some information about someone including photos and send it on to social network without

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Grooming.. Children and young people can be groomed online or face to face, by a stranger or by someone they know, e.g. family member, friend or professional. Groomers can be male/female of any age.

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online gaming could be when a child is playing online and its communicating with a stranger, may be through console or tablets etc. 

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online gaming could be when a child is playing online and its communicating with a stranger, may be through console or tablets etc. 

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Nazila

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Groomers may be male or female. They could be any age. Many children and young people don't understand that they have been groomed or that what has happened is abuse.

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Groomers may be male or female. They could be any age. Many children and young people don't understand that they have been groomed or that what has happened is abuse.

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Nagan

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Cyber bulling affects people from any age or walk of life, including children, teens and adults who all feel very distressed and alone when being bullied online. it can affect every day lives and is a constant source of distress and worry.

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# be very secretive
# have new things such as clothes or mobile phones
# have older G friend or B friend
Nazifa

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Children may view inappropriate or upsetting content while playing online this can sometimes be in the form of adverts. penny

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Children may view inappropriate or upsetting content while playing online this can sometimes be in the form of adverts. penny

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Grooming is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purpose of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or trafficking.

# data[].attributes.subject
Grooming is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purpose of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or trafficking.

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Mel.

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Blue Whale challenge suicide Game is a 21st century social network phenomenon that is claimed to exist in several countries, The game reportedly consists of a series of tasks assigned to players by administrators over a 50 day period with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide.

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Blue Whale challenge suicide Game is a 21st century social network phenomenon that is claimed to exist in several countries, The game reportedly consists of a series of tasks assigned to players by administrators over a 50 day period with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide.

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Mel

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by installing a filtering system and check it regularly.

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When children access to internet, specially chat rooms and 

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When children access to internet, specially chat rooms and 

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When children access to internet, specially chat roons and sharing private informations like name and address, they could be a target for some peoples( groomers) who would build with them a friendship aiming to meet them in real and exploit them.

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When children access to internet, specially chat roons and sharing private informations like name and address, they could be a target for some peoples( groomers) who would build with them a friendship aiming to meet them in real and exploit them.

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Rim

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I believe that some unobserved internet gaming can make kind of brain wash to children and make them do unexpected action like violent act against innocent people or commit suicide.

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I believe that some unobserved internet gaming can make kind of brain wash to children and make them do unexpected action like violent act against innocent people or commit suicide.

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Rim

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Using technology or an electronic device to humilate, threaten or upset a person.

Nikita

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Choose a user name that does not reveal any personal information. teach children when they create a personal profile to make sure you don’t give away any personal information. Hollie 

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Choose a user name that does not reveal any personal information. teach children when they create a personal profile to make sure you don’t give away any personal information. Hollie 

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Have an open discussion with your child about their online activities and help them understand and use the internet responsibly

Give them a time limit as some children may need reminding that real life discussions are just as important for them.

Help them to understand what is suitable to post and what isn’t.

Nikita

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It weights heavily on the psychological and emotional health of teens, children involved sometimes leading to anxiety, depression and suicide
Natalie

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Newspaper article about grooming via Minecraft game

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Newspaper article about grooming via Minecraft game

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-38284216

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Grooming is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purposes of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or trafficking

# data[].attributes.subject
Grooming is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purposes of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or trafficking

# data[].attributes.body
Natalie

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Online gaming pushing teens to suicide, challenging vulnerable teenagers brain washing them.
Natalie