They call it the "alphabet of the devil", and it is a harmful viral game that It has become fashionable among the children of an Asturian institute. However, this terrible game is not new, and the numerous videos posted on YouTube on the subject are a sample of this.
From Babies and More we want to alert you to this challenge, inform you of what it is and give you some keys to prevent children from falling into the practice and dissemination of this type of viral games.
What is this viral challenge?
The "alphabet of the devil" (some also call it "Chinese alphabet"), consists of scratching the back of another child's hand with the nail, while being asked to recite the letters of the alphabet and say a word with each of they.
Scratching increases in friction intensity and speed, leading to serious injuries that can often become infected and need treatment for healing.
Sometimes, the child voluntarily lends his hand to participate in the challenge, but in others he is tricked by a partner, who grips his arm tightly and prevents him from letting go until he completes the entire alphabet.
A viral who has blown the alarms
As reported by the Asturian newspaper El Comercio, about 40 students of the first year of the ESO, and some of the second year of the Astures Institute in Lugones, were discovered last week with injuries to the hands and wrists, derived from the practice of this viral.
In Babies and more Asturian schools and institutes will prohibit students from recording mobile phones with other classmates, as a measure against cyberbullyingThe director of the center, Mario Prendes, explains to the newspaper that when teachers began to realize the existence of these suspicious marks in the hands of several students, they decided to investigate what was happening, in order to tackle the problem as soon as possible.
And that's how they learned about this viral, whose YouTube videos had begun to spread among the students, just a few days before. From the center they have already taken the relevant measures, but Of particular concern is the reactivation of these types of challenges., because although at a certain moment they may seem eradicated, the power of social networks makes them resurface strongly.
A terrible practice, which however is not new
This horrible viral may sound like many to you, or you may have lived it in your own flesh. And it is that the "alphabet of the devil" is not something new, and already in the 90s it became fashionable among children.
But social networks have once again resurrected these types of challenges, helping their rapid dissemination among the youngest.Two years ago, the Association against School Bullying of Asturias echoed it for the first time, when a mother reported that her eight-year-old son had been forced to "play" the alphabet. With the photograph of the marks in the hands of the child, the Association urged parents and teachers to be attentive to this type of signals, and not silence the cases.
What can we do to stop this type of viral?
"The blue whale", "Momo", "In my feelings challenge", "Bird Box Challenge" ... the list of dangerous viral challenges that have spread in recent years among young people is, unfortunately, long.
Police, Civil Guard and experts continually alert to it, and ask for the collaboration of parents and teachers to stop this type of viral and prevent teenagers from continuing to practice and disseminate them on social networks.Given this type of viral "games", the first and main thing we have to do parents and teachers is not to look the other way. Thus, if we detect any visible mark on the child's body, or perceive changes in his behavior or school performance, it is essential to talk with him to look for the causes and tackle the problem.
In addition, experts insist on the importance of not letting children freely and without supervision access the contents published on the InternetWell, this could lead them to consume content not appropriate to their age, whether in the form of dangerous viral challenges, pornography, violence, impressionable images ... or even to be victims of harassment and cyberbullying.
And this becomes especially important when we give children their first mobile. The education in a responsible use of ICT is key, not only to not fall into the spell of these kinds of challenges, but not to continue spreading them.
In Babies and more Viral and adolescent challenges: expert advice to prevent risk situationsOther aspects that we must keep in mind are the importance of teaching our children assertiveness (so that they know how to say "no"), encourage their self-esteem and give them the keys to learn to deal with the opinions of the 'haters'.
Photos | iStock
