AL-RIYADH newspaper

NO sooner the world becomes free of the influence of a deadly electronic game than another more dangerous one appears.

There was much talk lately about the perils of the Internet on the lives of the children, especially electronic games that they download on their smart phones and computers.

Among others, these electronic games include the "Blue Whale", which reportedly drove tens of children around the world to commit suicide. The last of these victims was Abdul Rahman Al-Ahmari, a young Saudi boy from Abha.

The Blue Whale is one of the most notorious games that children and teenagers play on smart phones and computers. The player goes through 50 stages that revolve around challenges and dangerous draws after they have been psychologically influenced by the fatal game.

Regretfully this game has left tens of victims among children around the world including the Arab countries.

The most attractive element of this game is that it takes the players into a virtual world in which they try to prove themselves. The game especially attracts children who are not comfortable with interacting in society.

This game gives the children a false feeling of self-esteem before taking them toward the abyss.

The tendency for suicide among children is a dangerous indicator, which reveals the distancing of family and its failure in closely watching and following up their children. The proof of this claim is that the children remain locked in this game for 50 stages without their parents taking any notice of what they are doing.

Such fatal games reveal the flaws in our society particularly with the upbringing aspect. The fathers are busy working to provide for their families and are chasing a life that is moving at a fast pace.

The father will be out of the home throughout the day doing his job while ignoring the basic task of upbringing his children. He will have no time to stay with them and he will not be able to monitor what they are doing during his absence. He ought to be present to inculcate in his children social values and traditions but he will have no time for this.

Parents have an important responsibility, which is to protect children. They should talk to children and should not leave them alone to drown in the Internet sea. Children should not be left alone with their computers for long hours.

Parents should accompany children in discovering what electronic games to play and should not leave them to get involved too much in various stages and challenges of a game.

They should manage the time of their children and not leave them alone to their mobile phones and laptops.

It is important for the children to use the Internet but they should not get addicted to electronic games, which may have very serious implications on mental and physical health.

The solutions lie in protecting the children from electronic games that threaten their very safety and integrity and may lead them to certain disaster.

This protection is not the sole responsibility of the families alone. Concerned official bodies should step in to protect children against the dangers of electronic games. Among others, these concerned bodies include the ministries of education, information, culture, health and social development.

These ministries should appoint psychiatrists and social workers to observe the behavior of children and protect them against falling prey to the dangerous electronic games and the fantasy in which they may choose to live.

We do not want to lose any more of our children.