Schools issuing warnings about ‘supernatural’ Charlie Charlie game

The Ouija-board like game 'Charlie, Charlie Challenge' has worked up quite a storm on social media, with the #charliecharliechallenge gaining over two million shares in the last few days and children and teenagers attempting the challenge themselves and often even filming their often horrified reactions to post on YouTube.

The game entails two pencils balancing on top of a piece of paper, with the words yes or no scrawled on them. Children then proceed the to ask the Mexican demon called Charlie a series of questions like: “Charlie, Charlie are you there?”

Participants of the game then watch as the pencil moves towards the words according to the laws of gravity, but many children have bought in to the social media lore that it’s the work of the Mexican devil.

The minor phenomenon has prompted some schools to send out mailshots to parents warning them about the game.

President of the Independent Schools Association Dr Joe Gauci said that private schools were tackling the issue in different ways but he noted that it was "a very unwelcome trend", as it often led to the youngest or more impressionable students being quite scared.

The issue has already been variously addressed by private independent schools with appropriate specialist staff informing and educating students about the game.

"Approaches in ISA schools varied from information given during assembly or lessons, to classroom discussions and individual support and assistance as deemed necessary. All ISA schools are committed to continue monitoring the situation and supporting their students as suggested by any possible further developments," Gauci said.

Fr Jimmy Bartolo, coordinator of the Church Schools Association, also told MaltaToday that the school had instructed students not to play the game on school premises. “We are opposed to the game because of its similarities and connection to the Ouija board, a game that is notably associated to black magic,” Bartolo said, stressing that the school was doing its best not to alarm students.

“We don’t want our efforts to be counter-productive and make students even more curious, but we want to inform students why this practise is being banned from the school,” he added.