Special drive against Blue Whale game in Tiruchi district

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Close on the heels of young boys and girls falling victims to the Blue Whale Challenge, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has asked Childline and other non-government organisations to sensitise teachers and children to the ill-effects of playing the game.

Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development, has also written letters to the school principals, asking teachers to be vigilant and dissuade students from falling prey to online self-destructive games.

Upon receiving a circular, Childline has launched an awareness drive in the district. A. Albert, Childline Coordinator, Tiruchi district, told The Hindu that students between 12 and 19 years of age were considered to be vulnerable to the online game.

A few persons, who were found to be playing Blue Whale Challenge, had been rescued in the district. As per the directive of the Ministry, the Childline had launched an intensive drive to create awareness among the vulnerable group.

A plan has been drafted to visit schools in Tiruchi city and rural areas. Schools were communicated the importance of conducting awareness programme against unrestricted use of mobile and internet. The drive would be completed within October.

S. Thiyagarajan, Childline, Tiruchi City Coordinator, said that it had so far conducted programmes in six private and government schools in the city. Besides students, teachers were also sensitised to the importance of monitoring the attitudinal and behavioural change of students.

It had been observed that students between 12 and 19 years of age were vulnerable to the online game. The students, who had very low self-esteem, were becoming addicted to the game and they should be identified by the parents and teachers.

Lonely children, who had no effective monitoring by the parents, have been identified as vulnerable to the game. A special drive would be conducted for children who had taken up part time employment in Gandhi market, Mr. Thiyagarajan said

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/special-drive-against-blue-whale-game-in-tiruchi-district/article19760791.ece