It's scary but the Blue Whale Challenge cannot be banned

Representational image | Photo: iStock

The online game, 'Blue Whale Challenge', has been spreading panic in the country after a teen boy committed suicide in Mumbai. Thousands of people across the country are believed to have downloaded the game. In Kerala alone, there have been 2,000 downloads of the game that is said to have led to over 4,000 suicides across the world. Taking serious note of the issue, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan Wednesday said he would write to the Center to ban the online game.

However, contrary to popular perception, the government may not be able to ban the Blue Whale Challenge.

Here are the reasons:

• It is not a game that can be downloaded on a phone or a website

• There is no application or one specific website for the challenge

• Search for the game on PlayStore and other websites yields no results

• The challenge can only be undertaken when the creators contact prospective players

• The administrators of the challenge use different online forums to reach out to their victims

Read more: Latest news from India | Doklam standoff not very serious: Dalai Lama invokes 'Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai'