Parents and guardians are being advised to supervise their children's\wards activities online due to a cyberbulling game called the "Momo Challenge"
The Momo challenge is a game that encourages young people to harm themselves, and in some cases even take their own life.
Said to have originated in Mexico, the WhatsApp suicide challenge game features an avatar of a woman with dark hair, pale skin and two bulging eyes, who sends young participants instructions to perform some dangerous tasks which includes harming oneself.
The creepy game has now been reported in the UK.
According to the Daily Mail, a Bolton mother who wrote on a local Facebook group said that her 7-year-old son who had been influenced by the game, told his school friends that Momo was going to go into their sleep and kill them at night in their sleep.
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Just like the Blue Wale challenge that killed over 130 teens in Russia, the Momo challenge too has been linked to several deaths around the world.
A WhatsApp user would be challenged to message or add a Momo-associated contact on their WhatsApp or Facebook, or any social network platform that it is on. Once the person falls for it and makes contact, Momo will then threaten to appear at night or curse those who don't respond to its messages.
Players of the game are doxxed and convinced to harm themselves or threatened that their private information will be leaked in the public. Sometimes the game even scare those playing it with threats to harm their loved ones, so as to force them into playing by the rules of the game.
Parents and guardians around the world are being advised to monitor what their wards/children do online to prevent them from becoming a victim to this mind manipulating game.
CyberSafeIreland has urged parents to keep an eye on their children's activities online.
"It is really important that parents are aware that parents are aware that while the Internet brings great opportunities for fun, learning and socialisation, there are also risks that have to be managed, including access to harmful content or harmful contact.
"Parents should make informed decisions about their children's online use, keep a close eye on things, and have regular conversations about what their children are seeing and doing online."
Tags:
Momo Challenge 2019, WhatsApp Momo Blue Wale, Momo Death Challenge US, UK, Russia, South America