The Ghaziabad Tragedy: When Online Addiction Becomes a Life-or-Death Task

“3 sisters lost their lives just because of a game that made them delusional thoughts of being Korean princesses.”

On February 4, 2026, three young sisters in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, committed suicide by jumping from the ninth storey of their apartment building, as reported by NDTV.

According to reports, the sisters Vishhika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi (12) took this drastic measure early on Wednesday morning after their parents protested their intense online gaming addiction.

Key Details of the Incident:

• The Cause: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the sisters allegedly developed an addiction to internet gaming. They were apparently inspired by a task-based “Korean game” that they were playing.
• Sequence of Events: The sisters locked themselves in a room and jumped out of the window one after the other, according to the police. The sound of them hitting the ground aroused security guards and neighbors, but by the time the family broke into the room, all three had Online Addiction already jumped.
• The Suicide Note: A handwritten message with a crying emoji was found at the scene. “Is diary me jo kuch bhi likha hai woh sab padh lo kyuki ye sab sach hai (Read everything written in this diary because all of it is true.) I’m really sorry,” the girls said in the note, apologizing to their parents and giving them instructions to read a diary. I apologize, Papa.
• Family Background: According to the father, the daughters had stopped going to school on a regular basis because of their addiction and felt they “couldn’t give up Korea” (a reference to the game or the culture linked with it) and decided to terminate their lives instead.

Status of the Investigation:

In order to ascertain whether any external “taskmaster” or psychological manipulation was involved, the Ghaziabad police are presently looking into the diary’s contents as well as the particulars of the online game.

Technical Information

1. Identity & Role-Playing Mechanics

• Persona Identification: According to reports, the girls thought they were “Korean Princesses” instead than Indian nationals. This degree of fragmented identity is frequently associated with immersive role-playing games (RPGs), in which players devote a substantial amount of time to creating a virtual character that is more fulfilling than their actual identity.
• Virtual Migration: They made it clear in their suicide note that “Korea is our life, and you can’t make us leave it.” This implies that the “game” they were playing probably featured a profound social or cultural immersion; it may have been a social metaverse app or an interactive story game influenced by K-Drama or K-Pop.

2. Nature of the “Task-Based” Game

• The “Love Game”: According to preliminary police investigations, there is a game called the “Love Game.” This is characterized as an interactive online task-based game.
• Task-Reward Cycle: These games frequently make use of a “Dopamine Loop” to offer repeated, tiny rewards for finishing everyday chores. Investigators believe that when the “connection” to their virtual world was cut off, the withdrawal response that occurred when parents took away their phones caused them to decide to commit suicide.
• Synchronization of Behavior: The three sisters, who were 12, 14, and 16 years old, were “highly synchronized.” This is a noteworthy technical and psychological fact. They ate and bathed together as part of the same daily routine, which raises the possibility that the game had a cooperative or multiplayer task system that they were completing as a group.

3. Digital Forensic Investigation

• Mobile Analysis: The three sisters’ cell phones have been confiscated by the Ghaziabad police. Experts in digital forensics are currently:

1. Examining chat logs to determine whether the tasks were being provided by an outside “handler” or “mastermind” (much like the Momo or Blue Whale challenges).
2. Since many of these “Korean-themed” games are hosted on unofficial servers or non-mainstream app stores to get around parental controls, it’s important to identify the precise gaming program.

• Diary Correlation: There were “True Life Story” entries in a 50-page notebook. To determine whether the suicide was a last “task” given by the game, police are comparing the tasks listed in the journal with the girls’ surfing and app usage logs.

4. Sociological/Educational Breakdown

• Educational Stagnation: The oldest sister was only in Class 4, even though she was sixteen. All three have essentially ceased going to school since the outbreak in 2020. According to experts, a “technical” risk factor that allowed the digital addiction to totally replace their reality was the absence of social structure in the physical world.

A thorough forensic report on their digital footprints is anticipated in the coming days, and the remains have been sent for a post-mortem.

How to stop kids from being targeted?

1. Technical Controls (The “Digital Fence”)

• Parental Control Apps: Make use of resources such as Apple Screen Time or Google Family Link. These let you restrict particular apps, establish “hard” time limits, and most importantly, require your consent before downloading any new apps.
• Router-Level Filtering: Your home Wi-Fi router can be configured to ban particular website categories (such as “Gaming” or “Adult Content”) at particular times. All household devices can have harmful websites filtered out by using a DNS provider like OpenDNS.
• Private Profiles: Make sure kids’ profiles are set to private on social media and gaming sites. Because predators frequently exploit this information to establish trust, teach kids never to divulge their true name, school, or location.

2. Behavioral “Red Flags” to Watch For

The transition from “playing a game” to “being targeted” typically leaves hints:

• Sudden Secrecy: If a youngster becomes overly protective of their phone or hides their screen when you go into the room.
• Altered Identity: Adopting new, ritualistic practices, using odd pseudonyms, or becoming so fixated on a foreign culture that they deny their own.
• Withdrawal Symptoms: Extreme rage, trembling, or sobbing when the phone is taken away, or the internet is switched off.
• Sleep Disruption: Remaining up till three or four in the morning. In order to get kids to comply, several multinational games or “challenges” exploit sleep deprivation or operate in various time zones.

3. Psychological Defenses

• The “No-Judgment” Rule: Tell the kids: “If you ever see something online that scares you, or if someone asks you to do something weird, you can tell me and you won’t get in trouble.” The majority of children conceal online dangers out of concern that their parents will punish them by taking away their phones.
• Digital Literacy: Introduce them to “The Hook.” Describe how psychologists create games to induce addiction in order to generate money. Children frequently rebel against the game itself when they realize they are being “manipulated” by a corporation.
• Offline Anchors: Make sure the child participates in at least one “high-engagement” offline activity, such as sports, music, or painting. Predatory games fill a void; children are less inclined to engage with the digital world if they are surrounded by real-world interactions.

4. Collaborative Monitoring

• The “Common Area” Rule: Make it a rule that gaming and internet surfing should only take place in the kitchen or living area, never in a bedroom.
• Play Together: Ask to play the game with them from time to time. They should be questioned further if they appear apprehensive or if the game appears to have a “all-consuming” social order.

Specific Parental Control Apps

 

1. Top Parental Control Apps (Technical Safeguards)

Experts suggest these particular technologies for 2026 because of their capacity to keep an eye on risks unique to gaming and social media:

• Qustodio (Comprehensive Control): Platform-neutral (PC, Android, iOS). provides a Panic Button for children, filters web content, and establishes time limitations for individual games.
• Bark (Social Media Safety): Uses artificial intelligence (AI) to look for indications of depression, bullying, or predatory grooming in texts, emails, and more than thirty social media sites (including Instagram, TikTok, and Discord).
• Google Family Link (Android Users (Free)): Most effective at handling app approvals. You can conceal “unvetted” apps from the Play Store or remotely lock the device.
• Aura (AI-Powered Security): Includes a dedicated “Gaming Safety” toolbox that keeps an eye out for threats in voice and text conversations while your child is playing.

2. Digital Wellness & Literacy Resources

Resources to assist kids in developing the “mental immunity” required to fend off manipulation online:

• Google’s “Be Internet Awesome”: A gamified curriculum that teaches children how to be “Internet Alert” (identifying frauds and fakes) and “Internet Brave” (reporting bad actors).
• Common Sense Media: The gold standard for reviews. Look up a game here to check “Age-Appropriate” ratings and parent/child reviews of the content before allowing your child to download it.
• NCERT Digital Wellness Program (India): This curriculum, which is tailored to the Indian educational system, provides parents with courses on balancing screens and mental health.
• Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI): Offers a “Family Online Safety Agreement,” a paper document that you can print and have your kids sign to establish ground rules.

3. Immediate Action Steps (The “3-Step Setup”)

Take the following action right now if you are concerned about your child’s present gaming habits:

Step 1: Establish “School Time” and “Downtime”

Establish a required “Downtime” (such as 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM) in Google Family Link or Apple Screen Time during which all non-essential apps are locked. Late at night, when parents are sleeping, predatory activities frequently take place.

Step 2: Enable “SafeSearch” & Restricted Mode

• Google Search: Enable SafeSearch to weed out certain results.
• YouTube: Turn on Restricted Mode to conceal comments and anything that might be considered adult.
• Play Store: To stop people from downloading unapproved social and role-playing games, set the “Apps & Games” limitations to Rated for 12+ or lower.

Step 3: Use a “Tech Basket”

Establish a physical rule: at a certain hour, all electronics must be placed in a charging basket in the living room or kitchen. This avoids the “locked-room” situation that occurred in the instance of Ghaziabad.

Mental Health Support: Please get help if you or someone you know is experiencing mental health problems or thoughts of suicide:

• Vandrevala Foundation: 9999666555
• TISS iCall: 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday, 8 AM to 10 PM)

About The Author

Suraj Koli is a content specialist in technical writing about cybersecurity & information security. He has written many amazing articles related to cybersecurity concepts, with the latest trends in cyber awareness and ethical hacking. Find out more about “Him.”

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