SAINT PETERSBURG: Chilling online “death groups” on popular social media that egg on teenagers to kill themselves are causing panic in Russia after a string of teen suicides.
Hidden groups on social networking site VK, the Russian equivalent of Facebook, are reportedly controlled by “mentors” who incite their members to take their own lives.
The existence of these groups, highlighted in an investigation by Novaya Gazeta opposition newspaper last year, has rattled parents and sparked heated debate in a country where suicide is largely a taboo subject.
President Vladimir Putin has publicly expressed concern, this month calling for harsher punishments for those convicted …read more
Source: The Manila Times
