The Internet is a weird place where weird people do weird things. I get it and I accept it. But when kids follow trends that are harmful or potentially fatal, that's where we need to draw the line.

A 15-year-old San Antonio boy was found dead after his parents discovered he was most likely participating in an Internet fad called "The Blue Whale Challenge". KENS5 News reported this morning of the trend where an anonymous instructor asks kids to complete challenges'. Most of the time, it's stuff like listening to a certain song or doing something silly - the kids would then take a photo to prove they did it.

But sometimes these challenges go too far, which includes self-mutilation. Isaiah Gonzalez's final challenge proved fatal. He was found hanging from his closet by his father, according to the Washington Post. His father found his son's phone propped up by a shoe live streaming his suicide.

Now there are rumors that this online game could be behind other unexplained and unexpected deaths of teens around the globe. In fact, People Magazine wrote that it is suspected about 130 teens deaths in Russia are connected to "The Blue Whale Challenge", however there is no verifiable source quite yet.


Many schools and police departments in the U.S. are now informing parents of the trend in the hopes that parents will talk to their kids about social media pressure and the consequences rendered from living online.


So how do prevent this from happening in your community? You take responsibility of your children, sit them down and have a conversation. People are spending too much time online and as a result, our realities get jumbled up. These Internet challenges/trends/fads have real-world and sometimes permanent consequences. Use this horrible tragedy as an example for them.

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