Balasore: Even as the suicidal online game ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ has triggered panic in the country with students hurting themselves under the influence of the game, the district administration here has stepped up an awareness campaign to counter the scourge.
In the last 15 days, four cases wherein students having hurt themselves while playing the infamous game were reported in Balasore town.
Pictures of blue whale have been drawn on walls and boundary walls of houses in the town so as to tell students and youths to refrain from playing this game. Such drawings were also found near the FM Autonomous College.
A workshop on creating awareness and taking effective steps against the addictive game was held at Sadbhawana Hall of the collectorate here Wednesday.
The workshop was presided over by collector Pramod Kumar Das. SP Niti Sekhar, ADM Manmath Kumar Pani, district education officer Hrushikesh kandi, several block level officials, lecturers of colleges and technical institutions, headmasters of schools and media persons took part in the workshop.
Officials underscored the need for proper counselling of schoolchildren and youths to stay away from the killer game.
As smart phones are widely used by students and youths, they have chances of getting into the trap of the game, the collector said, adding parents and guardians can keep a watch on unusual changes in behaviour of their wards. They should take precautionary measures for their kids, he noted.
SP Sekhar observed that the game is played in phases. Youth easily getting depressed and frustrated become easy targets of the game.
He said there is need for awareness at the family-level while children should not been allowed to use smart phones.
Parents, teachers, lecturers and authorities of educational institutions should take extra care and keep watch on students when the latter are found feeling lonely or depressed, he added. PNN
