Self-harm on social media

Blue Whale is believed to be a social media group encouraging young people to kill themselves

Blue Whale, which is being linked to a death in India, is believed to be a social media group encouraging young people to kill themselves. It’s thought that a group administrator assigns daily tasks to members, which they have to complete over 50 days. The tasks include self-harming, watching horror movies and waking up at unusual hours, but these gradually get more extreme. On the 50th day, Blue Whale reportedly instructs the youngsters to commit suicide. 

Maria Korolov, editor of technology site Hypergrid Business, explains: “These (tasks) are social media challenges. It’s more like the ice bucket challenge than an actual game. The people who spread this should be as liable for the deaths they cause as the girl in Massachusetts recently who urged her boyfriend to commit suicide with text messages.”

Indeed, I recall being urged to “catch the bus” (forumspeak for suicide) by someone on a site called ASBS during my holidays last December. “It will be a special event, so why not enjoy it as best as you can. These are your holidays, so go some place far away, enjoy a nice chilled-out ride on the highway to a hotel. Check in for several days, just take as many long strolls as you can. You are in new energy, new people around you, make a party out of it... Good luck catching the bus,” he said on ASBS, a site that hosts discussions on depression and suicide. I was on ASBS because I got hung up on what the holidays were supposed to be. So, my first port of call was the internet, and with the click of a mouse or two, I landed on ASBS, a site that matched my holiday dread to a range of solutions — suicides mostly — and quickly paired me with individuals willing to offer advice and support. That was then. Now, when I logged to the site, “Sorry you are here” greeted me as usual, which is more than what I can get from closest friends. In addition, I saw this horrific conversation in an ASBS chat room:  

Photo: iSTOCK

ThatGirl: I started looking for methods to let go since I have seen every method used possible at work. As an emergency ward nurse, I know what does and doesn’t work, so that is why I choose hanging to use.

Her: So when are you going to catch the bus (commit suicide)?

ThatGirl: I would like to soon, you?

Her: I am planning to attempt this Sunday

ThatGirl: Wow, okay you want to use hanging, too? Or can you?

Her: I’m going to jump.

ThatGirl: Well that is okay but most people back out before doing that, plus they don’t wanna leave a terribly messy mess for others to clean up.

Her: I want it to look like an accident. There’s a bridge over the river. 

ThatGirl: Okay, otherwise I was gonna suggest hanging.

Her: I considered train jumping like, at the subway, but I thought this would be better.

ThatGirl: Um, yeah if you wanted to do hanging, we could have done it together over our webcams so it would not have been so scary for you.

Her: Well if I back out, I think we should do that.

ThatGirl: Okay, I shall pass out for now.

Scary self-harm is also promoted on myproana.com, an anorexia social network where fans cheer anorexics to extremes. When Carol posed corpse-like in a Halloween costume on myproana.com, forum posts declared her gaunt face and aged body an “absolute knockout” and a “thinspiration”. But more worrying was Carol’s aim to provide tips and tricks to others. 

I found such tips and tricks on pro-cutting forums. “What can I use now that my family has stopped me from buying razors?” The reply had a series of innovative alternatives. I observed similar phenomenon on a number of suicide forums, all of which are extremely easy to find.