A teenager in Morocco is the most recent victim of the online game "Blue Whale," which asks its players to commit suicide in the last round of the game.
The teen, who was an undergraduate student, committed suicide by jumping off a building rooftop in the town of Agadir, south of Morocco, to complete the final challenge of the game.
Blue Whale - played via social media platforms - asks players to complete 50 challenges over the course of 50 days, all of which encourage self-harm, the last of which is suicide.
"The challenges begin with self-harm, leading up to the final challenge which is suicide by hanging or jumping off a high building," according to Al Arabiya.
This comes after five individuals in Algeria committed suicide following their participation in the deadly online game, which was first launched in Russia in 2013.
The game is believed to have killed over 100 people since its launch.
Arab teens have been hit with the trend in recent months. Dubai Police published a statement asking parents to monitor their children's downloads. In May, a WhatsApp message circulated in the UAE warning people of the online game, specifically parents.
At the time, Colonel Saeed Al Hajiri, Director of Cybercrimes Department at Dubai Police, told Khaleej Times that there has been "no reports of such suicides in the UAE." He also reassured the public that there have been no reports of teens playing 'Blue Whale' in the country.
The Tunisian government has also warned families of the potential threat, according to Al Arabiya.
The hashtag #BlueWhaleChallenge on Instagram has garnered over 9,000 posts
When searching for posts uploaded on the social media platform, a warning appears cautioning users of the dangers of the game.
"Posts with words or tags you're searching for often encourage behavior that can cause harm and even lead to death. If you're going through something difficult, we'd like to help," the Instagram alert reads.
The game has reached teens in Brazil, Portugal, India, and Russia, to name a few.
It has not been "directly responsible" for any deaths, however, the individuals committing suicide have been caught playing the game.
In August, a Siberian court sentenced the creator of the game Philipp Budeikin, a 22-year-old Russian national, to three years in jail for "inciting Russian youths to kill themselves."
In an interview, Budeikin was asked if he intentionally pushed teenagers to commit suicide, to which he responded:
"Yes. I truly was doing that. Don't worry, you'll understand everything. Everyone will understand", he said, according to The Times of India.
