Social media has come such a long way throughout the years. People of all ages use it every single day. I would assume that teenagers and young adults are the most popular users. Being able to access social media at any given time with our smart phones makes it easier to stay connected to all of the trends.

There are always new trends and “challenges” going on around the social media world. The Ice Bucket Challenge, Cinnamon Challenge, Mannequin Challenge and so many more have had popularity. Thousands of people participate and share these challenges on their social media websites.

It seems that the newest trend is quite scary. If you haven’t heard of it, it is called “The Blue Whale Challenge.” The challenge is aimed at teenagers. It is an online social media group that is encouraging people to kill themselves. This is a serious issue in the generation that they are aiming for. They are purposely going after vulnerable teens. The group assigns tasks for the participant over a 50 day period. The tasks include things such as watching horror movies, waking up at 4 AM, cutting themselves, and many more. By the 50^th day the teen playing is instructed to commit suicide. It's hard to imagine people actually participating in the challenge, but it has already taken many teens' lives.

In the generation being targeted - teenagers - it's hard to stand up to peer pressure. It seems they would do anything to fit in. The challenge starts out easy and gets extreme over the days. The players must submit pictures to prove they have completed each task.

Schools have put out notices to parents letting them know about the new challenge going around on social media. It is so important to monitor young teens and their technology, and talk to them about what is going on in their lives.

It is sad how technology has allowed young teens to be participating in things like this. Social media is meant to connect with people, not to take lives. Cell phones are in the hands of young people who are still too immature and uneducated to have access to social media apps. It's hard to believe this challenge is even real. If you type #Bluewhalechallenge on Instagram you'll see the image below. It IS real.

PLEASE monitor your teen's social media, as you never know what they are seeing online. It is so sad that teenagers feel like their lives are so terrible that they would rather end it than get help when their lives have barely started. It's even more sad that lives have been taken from a stupid challenge like this. Be aware of what trends your teen is participating in. The person behind the game is sick. For someone to get enjoyment and entertainment out of telling teens to do harmful things to themselves, and end their lives, is disgusting.