Hindustan Times (Gurugram) - Hindustan Times (Gurugram) - City
Amitabh and Aamir alarmed by the Blue Whale Challenge
Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have spoken out against the dangerous Blue Whale Challenge, an online game pushing a person towards suicide. The game, which encourages self-harm, allegedly took the life of a 14-year-old boy in Mumbai on July 29. Reacting to this, both the actors emphasised on giving importance to life over anything else.
Bachchan tweeted: “Reading alarming news on a dangerous internet game being played by the young! Life is given to live not give it up before time!”
The challenge, which is said to have originated in Russia, targets those who display suicidal tendencies, communicating with them through the Internet. The curator plays mind games with the victims, giving him or her 50 weird tasks. On the last task, the gamer is asked to end his/her life. Once in, a player is not allowed to quit.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Aamir, too, stated the importance of not letting the Internet influence minds in a negative way. He said, “I feel everything has its disadvantages. The Internet is a new medium, but if not used right, anything can cause problems. Even the best of things, when not put to right use, can cause harm. Obviously, we try to teach our kids to do the right thing. To an extent, it’s the parents’, teachers’ and family members’ responsibility to show our kids the right path.”