15-Year-Old Dies By Suicide After Being Mocked Over Losing PUBG Round

A 15-year-old boy in India reportedly killed himself after being mocked over losing a PUBG game round.

According to local media reports, the teenager was spending his summer holidays with his father in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh's Machilipatnam city when the incident took place.

The teenager's mother, who was separated from the father, raised doubts over the death and had filed a case of suspicious death, Zee News reported.

Upon investigation, the police found the boy was playing PUBG with cousins on June 11 when they started teasing him for losing a game. The father of the teenager had also told him not to play the game, which further upset him.

The unidentified child reportedly died by hanging himself.

"Family members said the boy used to play games on the mobile phone most of the time and was depressed after making fun of him for losing the game. When his father knocked on the door on Sunday morning, he did not open [the door]. The family members broke open the door only to see the boy hanging from the fan," a senior police officer told the New Indian Express.

An investigation was currently underway into the incident.

The latest incident comes just days after a 16-year-old boy allegedly shot his mother because she stopped him from playing “online games like PUBG.”

These incidents raise concerns over the serious implications of online game addiction on young minds. “Some research has indicated the use of gaming platforms, like PUBG, affect the mental health of players, and they may even suffer from depression and anxiety. Also, it has an adverse impact on those with ADHD and suicidality, and can also make one think of self-harm and propagate aggressive behavior,” Dr Priyanka Jain, Development and Behavioral Pediatric at the Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, told the Indian Express.

Addiction to online gaming can be harmful and cause “procrastination, stress, anxiety and impulsivity”, Dr Syed Zafar Sultan Rizvi, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, School of Liberal Arts, Noida International University, said. “Further, it can lead to eating disorders that can convert into a habit. Adolescents, who spend most of their time on screens, get instant gratification (small rewards) while playing games and it leads towards habit formation.”

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.