Government bans blue whale game after teenager’s death

NAIROBI, KENYA: The government has written to Facebook and Twitter and all other social media sites where the deadly Blue Whale Challenge game has been reported to disable it immediately.

This follows Monday report that a Kenyan teenager could have committed suicide as a result of the game.

“We have also written to Google and asked them to be on high alert of the game on You Tube and other platforms managed by them,” said Ezakiel Mutua in a reactionary statement.

“We have also ordered for the withdrawal of the game from all social media sites in Kenya and asked all Internet Service Providers to ensure it is not accessible in Kenya,” he added.

Mutua said that over the past few weeks, the Board has been receiving complaints from parents and various stakeholders in the education sector, expressing concern about the psychological and physical dangers the game is posing to children.

Kenyans woke up on Monday to reports that a 16-year old boy committed suicide in Kamkunji, Nairobi, after playing the online game which encourages one to take his or her life.

Jamie Njenga, a Form Two student at JG Kiereini Secondary School in Kiambu County, had on Thursday played the online game Blue Whale Challenge.

It has 50 challenges and the player is considered the winner when he or she goes through the last challenge, which requires the person to commit suicide. There are reports that so far, the game has claimed more than 100 lives of teenagers across the world.