Chinese Girls Commit Suicide to 'Time Travel'

Two young Chinese girls committed suicide so they could "time travel" to imitate characters in TV fantasies, officials believe. The fifth-graders in East China's Fujian province drowned themselves in a pool, and left behind a suicide note indicating they were hoping to become time travelers after death, reports the New York Daily News. Several Chinese programs involve characters who travel to ancient times after death. According to an informal survey by a Chinese newspaper, 11 out of 16 elementary school students believe such time travel is possible. Worried officials are considering banning time-travel plots in programs during prime time—or issuing warnings, reports the China Daily.

"Schoolchildren are rich in curiosity, but poor in judgment, so this kind of tragedy happens in every era," said a spokeswoman for the China Youth and Children Research Center. "I have heard of children jumping from high buildings after watching an actor flying in a magic show. This kind of imitative behavior is in the nature of young children, but it's very dangerous. So we should give some sort of warning for children on TV programs." (More suicide stories.)