There are apps for sharing stories, making videos, and now there is one that will push you to the edge of your life. Blue Whale is an app based on the movie Nerve, that came out last year on Jul. 17.

The actual movie Nerve was about the app Nerve that would have people do certain dares to earn money. Anything from trying on a dress in a store, to hanging off a crane, 200 feet in the air.

Then someone created an app known as Blue Whale. People are just now realizing what Blue Whale truly is. The so called “game” went over the course of 50 days, and over that time period you had to complete certain tasks. The only way to complete Blue Whale was to do the final task, committing suicide.

The app appeared in several different countries around the world. The creator of the app, Phillip Budeikin, said he was “cleansing society.” Budeikin is from Russia and is 21 years old. He was convicted of murder of about 16 school girls who committed suicide, but Budeikin insists that all the participants were “biological waste.”

I think that this app is making the world worse. Depression is already well known, and now Budeikin thinks people’s lives are just “games.” You only get one life, don’t waste it by choosing to end it early.

Everyone is worth something, no life should be wasted on insecurities. I don’t think people should listen to whoever is behind the screen, telling you what decisions to make, and how to live your life.

Reports earlier last year said that Blue Whale originally started as a youtube video from an anonymous “youtuber” who began giving people assignments and tasks to complete. Most of the tasks had the participant committing self harm.

Some people were so desperate to feel accepted and have human interactions that they listened to the task instead of choosing something else to watch.

The app was targeted towards preteens and teens. Some said that the first task was something like watching a scary movie, and over time, it got increasingly more dangerous. Multiple videos said the participant must cut themselves and this horrible app can reach the participant by Instagram, Snapchat and other social media sites.

The worst part is, you had to take a video or a photo of the task you did to “prove” to the leader that you weren’t lying. The boss, if thats what you want to call it, referred to him or herself as the “curator”. Blue Whale may have started on Youtube, but in order to keep it going, multiple apps had to be created. This included one that used to be available on Google’s Play store.

For some reason, everytime a video, app, or channel gets taken down, it pops up again. One video might be taken down, but a new channel will show up over and over, trying to get kids in on it.

When I decided to do some research of my own, I came to a site that seemed to be well informed on the issue. So naturally, I decided to scroll down to the comments to see others opinions on the issue. Then I found multiple comments like this one:

“I love the Blue Whale challenge…” or others like: “Makes the suicidal nutcases more obvious to detect.”
These horrible comments are why this app is such a big issue. Some comments said it was a “silly game” and you “ weren’t supposed to do the last challenge.”

And then I found other comments, from people who had been affected by Blue Whale. People who were seeking information because they had lost a loved one to the challenge.

Luckily, a new app has been created to protest Blue Whale, and it goes by Red Whale. It is free to download on the app store for IOS and Android. This app is the polar opposite of Blue Whale. Red whale has you do kind things in your daily life, and the tasks get increasingly more nice.

The app is for ages 4 plus, because you are never too young to be kind. I even got the app myself. The project for Red Whale was created by Eric Vasconcelos, who suffers from anxiety, but he believes that we can make the world a better place and “Transform society and the people around him.” I am a strong believer in this as well.

The app explains what depression is, and even gives you a link to medical centers that can give you free or low cost care if you are suffering from depression.

Blue Whale is a harmful app that shouldn’t be seen as a joke or a game. If you or someone you know has used Blue Whale or committing self harm, please tell an adult.