Following last Friday’s choking incident, which sent one 14 year-old to Princess Grace Hospital, the Monaco Teachers’ Union has alerted the authorities to the lack of student supervisors, 23 in total, given that the student population is more than 1,100.
Three boys of the same age were interviewed by the Police after the incident. On Monday, representatives of the teachers’ union said it wasn’t an isolated act. One said: “For them, it’s a game,” adding: “We are facing an increase in physical and verbal threats in colleges. Adolescents insult and hit each other gratuitously, push each other, push each other down the stairs. For them, it’s a game and they absolutely do not realise the consequences of their actions.”
Speaking to local French-language daily Monaco Matin, the representative said: “We therefore reiterate, on the occasion of this sad event, the same requests concerning the increase in the number of supervisors for the Charles-III College, as well as training sessions, for both students and teaching staff, concerning the dangers of games played by middle school students within educational establishments.”
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, children and adolescents who suffer from depression or behavior problems may be more likely to play potentially fatal “choking games” to achieve a euphoric high than young people who don’t have mental health issues, a French study suggests.
Roughly one in 10 teens and pre-teens have participated in this dangerous game at least once, researchers report in the journal Pediatrics. The risk was more than doubled, however, for young people with symptoms of depression or conduct disorders.
This game is deadly and can attract suicidal children, said lead study author Gregory Michel, a psychology researcher at the University of Bordeaux.
ILLUSTRATION: Reuters
