The Supreme Court on Friday called the Blue Whale Challenge a national problem, Bar & Bench reported. It asked broadcaster Doordarshan to come up with an educational programme about the game’s impact within a week.

The bench said the programme must be aired on all private channels during prime time. The order was passed by a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud. The matter is listed for hearing again on November 20.

The online game has reportedly led many teens to commit suicides across the country in the recent past. In the online challenge, a designated curator assigns players various tasks over 50 days, ending in the player committing suicide. Several petitions have reached courts across India against the game.

Meanwhile, the Centre told the court that it had formed an expert panel that will file its report on the issue in the next three weeks. On October 13, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to form the panel to find ways to block the Blue Whale Challenge.

On September 4, the Madras High Court had asked the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to explore if the Blue Whale Challenge could be banned. The same month, the Centre issued an advisory asking guardians to monitor their children’s online and social media activity.

In August, the Delhi High Court asked Facebook, Google and Yahoo to respond to a plea seeking a ban on the controversial game on their platforms.