Hundreds of suicides were linked to the Blue Whale Challenge – but what is the truth behind the claims?

The challenge was described as an online game, where participants were given 50 tasks to perform over 50 days. A report in independent Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta linked the game to 130 teenage suicides, and a 21-year-old man who was arrested in a case related to the challenge pleaded guilty and is currently in a Russian prison. But others are sceptical that the challenge can definitively be blamed for the tragedies. And in a twist, researchers say the game may not have even existed before the initial media reports.

Presenter: Mike Wendling

(Photo: A blue plastic toy whale. Credit: Getty Images)