VIRTUAL WORLD VS REAL WORLD: YOUR KIDS AT STAKE

Virtual world vs Real World

It is really very pathetic to hear that so many teens are tending towards suicide just to complete a dangerous internet game like Blue Whale Challenge. In these few months this horrendous heart rending fact kept coming in news. It is not a video game but a virtual targeted privacy hacking ploy used by criminal minds to trap depressed and distressed innocent teens in particular tracked from unknown sources.

The game started in Russia in 2013 and now existing in several countries including India. This is actually a suicide game where a group of administrator instructs the participants (particularly teen aged participants) to execute any painful task daily for 50 days. And finally participants have to commit suicide. Many teenagers have already lose their lives falling in this trap. Apart from natural distraction from studies never before the virtual game world challenged parents with such a fatal consequences.

Though police have already arrested the main culprit but the game is still existed. Delhi High Court already ask for an answer of Google, Yahoo and Facebook on a plea to direct them to take down the links. Kerala Government will soon write to central to ban this game said Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Teenager's Solitude

But how could parents help their children to stay away from such a dangerous virtual world?

1.   Talk to your kids. Teenage is a very delicate moment. So parents need to understand their children more during this period. Ask them what they are thinking about their future life.Give them some time from your busy schedule so that they never feel alone.
2.     Your child can harness any electronic gadget better than you so try to encourage them and ask them to teach you some gadget tricks and tips.

3.   Treat them like a friend so that they can open out. But still keep a track on their movements as well as their virtual world.

4.   Instead of gifting a smart phone give them a regular small budget phone. 

5. Keep patience with them. If you found any abnormality in their behavior immediately contact a counselor.

6. You need to be updated and informed of the news and trends at least so that your child knows that you can track them.

7. Infuse and inject in your child the sporting spirit and encourage by saying how you enjoyed the outdoor games and even not abiding your guardians' warning. This will make your child get frank with you and the challenge of the real world will attract more than virtual targets.

8. After each day end try to find time to at least discuss with your little one at dinner table and encourage him/her to tell how the day fared.

9. Never challenge your kid with the idea that you know better than him just because you are senior. But try to persuade by citing examples that you have passed his age and maybe he is right but he needs to be logical enough to satisfy you.

10. Last but not the least, your dreams should not be your child's burden, and your beliefs must not be an automatic choice for your child. Its completely ok to disagree and don't ever play the comparison game to win the battle.

Hope you will add up to the list and would love to hear 

from you in your thoughtful comments.