A San Antonio family is reeling from the death of their teenage son, who apparently was coaxed into committing suicide through a social media game called the Blue Whale Challenge, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Fifteen-year-old Isaiah Gonzalez was found dead in his bedroom, hanging in his closet from an apparent suicide. The family found his cellphone nearby, perched in a way to capture the attempt on camera, which is part of the game played on social media.
The challenge, which originated in Russia, is played when teens seek out a "curator" who will issue 50 daily tasks. According to reports, they start with menial tasks, but grow to become more dangerous.
Adolescent psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI, the game is diabolical in the way that it grooms isolated kids to become more accepting.
"They feel like they are part of something larger than themselves and, more than anything, teens want a feeling of belonging," she explains.
When the players finish the early tasks, which could be as simple as listening to music or watching a horror movie, it gives them a sense of validation.
"It's like video games that are addicting," she says. "An isolated teen now has someone who is interested in them and they're pleasing that person and they're doing a good job."
On the last day, those who play are told to commit suicide, which is a growing problem in the U.S. and abroad.
According to the American Psychological Association, suicide is now the second leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 24
.Meanwhile, the Gonzales family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the Isaiah's funeral"Please make sure you talk to your children please love them look at their phones and look at everything they look at," it reads. "Please my nephew did not deserve to die this way."
https://www.gofundme.com/isaiah-gonzalez-funeral