Blue Whale Challenge: Kolkata Police issues guidelines to school authorities

With rising number of cases from across the state about youngsters taking up Blue Whale challenge, Kolkata Police has stepped in and has started issuing guidelines to school authorities regarding ways to identify symptoms and deal with the growing menace.

“We have begun sending letters to schools with guidelines regarding identification of cases. We are also using the social media extensively to spread awareness about the game,” said a senior Kolkata Police official.

It was found out that there had been cases of Blue Whale detected at many reputed schools of the city but school authorities have managed to keep those under the wraps.

The letters contain a lot of information about the game itself as many school authorities don't have any idea about what the game is about. Cyber experts have pointed out the early and advanced signs which victims show. “We have instructed schools that as soon as a victim of Blue Whale is identified, police authorities should be alerted as they will arrange for counselling of the victim. Schools have also been advised to communicate with parents and guardians and tell them possible signs and what parents should and should not do to avoid any such case,” the official said.

Parents have been advised to keep a tab of browsing history of computers and other internet-enabled devices which their children used.   State education department has already taken steps to deal with Blue Whale challenge. In association with several psychiatrists and NGOs, the department has put up workshops at schools. A blanket ban on use of mobile phone during school hours have been put in place. State education department is likely to add a chapter ‘Responsible use of internet’ to the school syllabus from the next academic year.

Authorities of different schools said that they were doing their bit but parents needed to be more aware as well. “We have counsellors at our schools who are talking to students of all classes and trying to locate if there was any who had fallen prey to the deadly game and telling them the possible consequences,” said Samita Pincha, headmistress, The BSS School. She also said that too many parents allow children to use their internet-enabled phones and TV. “Many parents have found it a shortcut to keep children engaged. Kids are hardly involved in any creative work and even the habit of reading is fading away. We would advise parents not to let children handle phones or watch TV for too long at a stretch. Recent studies have proved it beyond doubt that even if they are watching cartoons for too long, the bright fast moving images lower their concentration power,” she added.