Sarahah app abuse drives Mangaluru girl to contemplate suicide
- Mangaluru girl thought of taking her own life after receiving abusive messages on Sarahah. She posted on Facebook saying that she was contemplating suicide as a result of these messages.
- The girl slipped into depression after she received abusive messages in her account.
- Educational institutions in the city have taken up responsibility to bring awareness among the youth pertaining to cyber crime.
FollowEven when the negative effects of the Blue Whale Challenge are yet to be countered, the secret messaging app Sarahah has already started showing its true colours. What was supposed to be an app promoting truthful confessions and opinions about a person, it has now turned out to be a major cause of depression among youth. With the torrent of abuse some people have been filing on this app, it could also be seen as a form of cyber bullying.
For instance, this Mangaluru nurse thought of taking her own life after receiving abusive messages on Sarahah. She posted on Facebook saying that she was contemplating suicide as a result of these messages. She posted a message saying "I am quitting life."
As the post went viral, a screenshot was sent to the Rachakonda Police's FB account, who then contacted their counterparts in Mangaluru regarding the same. The Mangaluru City Police located the girl and counselled her. Hanumantharaya, DCP (law and order), Mangaluru city police said, "We learnt that comments made anonymously on Sarahah had affected her so much that she slipped into severe depression."
Meanwhile, the city-based Vikas group of institutions has taken upon itself the onus of spreading awareness about the misuse of social media. They have sought permission from the deputy commissioner and deputy directors, departments of public instruction and PU education, to carry out awareness campaigns in schools and colleges in DK and Udupi district for the benefit of all stakeholders concerned.
Chairman of the institute, Krishna J Palemar, talking to the reporters said that although there are no Blue Whale Victims in any of its institutes, the impending danger should be uprooted from beforehand. He pointed out, "We have brought out a two-page laminated booklet which will be distributed to 150 educational institutions in DK and Udupi explaining the deadly effects of the game and the role society can play to prevent it."
Clearly, Sarahah has ended up as a tool to abuse people using the cloak of anonymity. Since the time Sarahah became popular one can see the reviews associated. A user had commenting saying, this is an app for breeding suicides. People have also complained of receiving death threats under anonymity and comments of sexual nature. The app, which has become quite common among teens has now assumed dangerous proportions bordering on becoming a killer app.
