119 Instances Of Teens Harming Themselves Surface In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The menace of online games, to which numerous kids have fallen prey in last five years, has escalated to another level in Bhopal lately. From January till October 15 this year, almost 119 such instances have been reported in the city where the children, usually between 13 to 18 years old, have been playing games that require them to complete several tasks.

And the kids end up inflicting harm on themselves. Of all the given tasks in the games, a majority of them take a dangerous turn when the kids advance to higher levels. According to Childline officials, 78% of the kids who ended up harming themselves owing to online task gaming are children of working parents whose activities go unmonitored mostly.

Due to loneliness and less productivity, they resorted to online gaming. “Games to which the kids have fallen prey include Cinnamon Challenge, which requires the kids to swallow large quantities of cinnamon without drinking water, followed by the choking challenge, in which the kids are tasked to choke themselves for as long as they can,” officials added.

In another incident, a teenager residing in Awadhpuri area jumped off the second floor of his house to complete a challenge nearly three months ago and injured himself. Another such frightening incident came to light from MP Nagar area, where a 15-year-old boy slit his wrist to complete an online challenge. The parents of such children, after discovering the incident, have been approaching Childline for counselling.

Behavioural issues

Sources at Childline told Free Press that apart from the cases in which the children end up harming themselves, many cases have also been reported where the children binge watch web series and OTT content. The kind of content consumed by them often includes abusive and violent incidents, following which the kids’ behaviour change drastically. Box Talk to children, engage them in co-curricular activities: Psychiatrist Dr Manish Borasi, a child psychiatrist, said working parents should spend time with their children, talk to them and know about their interests. “Additionally, parents should engage their children in co-curricular activities to keep them away from online challenges and other addictions,” he added.