The Blue Whale Challenge is a social media phenomenon that originated in Russia in 2016 and is claimed to exist in several countries. It is a game that encourages children, teenagers, and other users to perform specific tasks over the course of 50 days. The challenge is alleged to be linked to numerous deaths around the world, with hundreds of deaths reported to be linked to the so-called "suicide game". However, closer investigation has revealed that the game, at least as it was initially reported, doesnt seem to have existed at all.

The Blue Whale Challenge is targeted at 10-14 year olds, and players join the challenge by posting certain hashtags or joining specific groups on social media, in the hopes of getting selected by a “group administrator” . The challenge as a whole is meant to harm students and slowly gets them to trust the game. Many of the tasks include acts of self-harm, like urging players to cut themselves in the shape of a whale. Players are required to send photo evidence to their “group administrator” to prove that they have completed each specific task. The challenge creates an area where vulnerable, isolated, or depressed children and teenagers may visit and can be exploited and controlled. Furthermore, it creates new opportunities for predators to target victims on social media.

The Blue Whale Challenge has been the subject of several movies and TV series, including as a part of their storyline. The games creator, Philipp Budeikin, a 22-year-old dropout psychology student, was arrested in Russia in 2016 and sentenced to three years in prison for inciting at least 16 teenage girls to commit suicide.

In conclusion, the Blue Whale Challenge is a social media phenomenon that encourages children, teenagers, and other users to perform specific tasks over the course of 50 days. The challenge is alleged to be linked to numerous deaths around the world, but closer investigation has revealed that the game, at least as it was initially reported, doesnt seem to have existed at all. The challenge is targeted at 10-14 year olds and creates an area where vulnerable, isolated, or depressed children and teenagers may visit and can be exploited and controlled.