12-Year-Old 'Inspired' By Superhero Web Series Jumps Off 11th Floor 'To Gain Power'

A 12-year-boy in India fell to his death after jumping off a high-rise building allegedly in hopes of becoming a superhero.

Biraj Pachisia, 12, went to the 11th floor of his housing complex in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Saturday. Pachisia’s family had gathered at their apartment for a local festival. While the family was busy making arrangements for the festivities, Pachisia jumped from the roof and straight into the concrete floor below.

The noise alerted neighbors in the complex, who rushed outside to find the boy lying in a pool of blood. He was taken to a local medical facility, where he succumbed to his injuries, online news publisher india.com reported. The incident was reported to the police and an investigation was conducted.

According to authorities, the boy was allegedly addicted to a popular Japanese web series "Platinum End." In the show, the protagonist jumped off a tower. But, he was saved by an angel and given special powers. Police believe the plotline inspire Pachisia to jump in hopes of gaining superpowers.

"He was recently given an electronic gadget because of his online classes and we have come to know that he was addicted to this serial. Though there is no physical evidence to his suicide but considering the circumstantial evidence we are apparently sure that the boy was so much addicted to this web series that he thought of jumping from the roof," an officer was cited as saying by The Statesman.

Experts believe prolonged and unregulated screen time can negatively affect children. According to Stanford Children’s Health, children are exposed to a variety of content that is not educational. "Your child may see these things before they are emotionally ready to understand these issues," the institution said on their website.

"Serials and web series create a strong impact on the psychology of the young minds and they often pay for it with life. Previously many such young boys gave their lives after playing games like ‘Blue Whale’ and ‘PUBG’. This is a dangerous trend," a psychiatrist told the daily.