Warning, this is a true crime podcast and is not suitable for all audiences.

Please use discretion.

This episode details references to suicide and self-harm.

Please take extra care whilst listening.

This is episode three of a four-part series.

If you haven't listened to the first two episodes, please go back to the beginning so you can follow along.

Hi, Nomi. Could you give me a call? We've found something on Michael's phone that's causing us concern, something called the Blue World Challenge. Thank you as always.

An Italian police officer who took a look at Michael's mobile phone suspects that he had links to a deadly online challenge called the Blue Whale Challenge.

So what is this? And could this be linked to his disappearance?

I'm Naomi Channel, and this is a three-part special edition of Real. I'm Naomi Channel. You know, Michael Frisson was known to use social media, like most other 25-year-olds.

Looking at his social media presence, everything looks and seems normal. But of course, we can be anybody

online. I've spent most evenings after work and putting my children to bed, scouring the internet,

using open source intelligence to try and find any other connections Michael might have had to forums or even the

dark web over the last few weeks. But then I got a call from Claire. She's the close family

friend of Christina's and Michaels. In fact, they were so close, Michael had a key to her house

and would often stay over,

because he is best friends with her son, who you heard from in the first episode.

But nobody in Michael's real world life had ever heard him mention the Blue Whale Challenge.

I started to research this challenge, and I'll warn you, this gets pretty dark.

The Blue Whale Challenge started in Russia in 2016. It's a twisted online phenomenon where users

are given 50 challenges to complete over a 50-day period.

As a parent and as a human being, reading the challenges made me feel sick.

...