HOUSTON – Reports of a social media game called the ‘Momo Challenge’ resurfaced online this week.
The “Momo Challenge” is in many people’s social media feeds Wednesday in the wake of a report that clips on the child-friendly version of YouTube Kids give kids instructions on how to kill themselves.
The frightening report brought to mind, for many, the “Momo Challenge,” in which children are allegedly contacted by “Momo” and asked to take part in a number of tasks that sometimes lead to violence and self-harm, including suicide, Inside Edition reported. Children and young adults taking part are also reportedly asked to show their acts via photos.
It’s unclear at this time whether the “Momo Challenge” is what the woman in Florida saw when she reported clips about YouTube Kids. However, The Daily Mail is reporting that clips from the Momo Challenge have appeared in videos from the kids’ cartoon “Peppa Pig” or the computer game Fornite.
The viral game first gained attention in 2018 after a girl in Argentina reportedly took her life as a result of it, the Buenos Aires Times reported.
The Daily Mail reported the game is linked to two children’s deaths, and, in recent months, officials around the country have warned parents about the game and changes in their kids’ behavior.
However, one cyber expert has said the challenge is a hoax.
“I believe that the Momo challenge is largely an urban myth or online hoax," Dawn Branley-Bell, a cyberpsychologist from Northumbria University, told Yahoo News UK. “This is the latest ‘hot topic’ which is spreading like wildfire due to its sensationalist nature and is causing a lot of parents to be unnecessarily worried.”