The Association of ICSE Schools in West Bengal will organise a workshop for all its member schools in the city to build an awareness among students about the misuse of social media and the risk of 'Blue Whale Challenge' and similar online games.
"We will be holding the workshop by September 2017 where two student leaders from class 9 and 10 and one teacher from each school will be participating and speak on the 'abuse and misuse of social media' and online games like 'Blue Whale Challenge'," Association Secretary Nabarun De told PTI here.
The students, chosen as leaders in their respective classes, will be apprised by cyber experts and resource persons about the dangers inherent in addiction to the social media, how it affects their studies, personal lives and how online games like 'Blue Whale Challenge' can be fatal, De explained.
"They will then communicate the message to their classmates in a more cogent manner. We will be inviting all schools affiliated to our association including those in the Hills. We are sure of the participation from schools located in the plains," he said.
The move comes following a workshop at Central Modern School where De is the Principal.
"We have already conducted this exercise in my institution where the students showed a lot of interest as resource persons interacted with them and their teachers," he said.
The workshop would also aim at sensitising students about too much addiction to smart phones loaded with various applications which may distract them from other curriculur and extra-curriculur activities, De said.
The association was planning to involve over 250 schools spread across West Bengal.
Blue Whale is a controversial Internet game in which a series of tasks, mostly brutal, are given to players for a period of 50 days by the administrators. The player is asked to share photos after finishing the different levels of the game. The game is spread via links on social media platforms.
Some of the deaths of children in the age group of 12-19 years have been linked to the game.