‘Momo Challenge’

We recommend reading the text below along with the information provided in the following link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-47359623

What is it?
Momo is a ‘viral media scare’. These scares present rather like an old-fashioned ‘chain letter’, only with a cyber-bully twist; it can be hard to know whether they’re real, where they come from and what to do about it.

The latest of these, characterised by the disturbing image of a black-haired woman with bulging eyes, appears to be the ‘Momo Challenge’. ‘Momo’ first came to light last summer, after being
allegedly linked to a number of deaths in Argentina, Columbia and India.

What does it involve:
 Players are sent a message which directs them to contact ‘Momo’ and provide their mobile number
 The message may include the threat that the recipient will be cursed if they don’t reply
 If someone does contact ‘Momo’, they reportedly get other threats, frightening photos, and/or challenges to complete harmful tasks
 The final challenge is to commit suicide in order to meet ‘Mother Bird’

What parents/guardians can do
A person doesn’t have to be searching for ‘Momo’ themselves to be exposed to it, and unlike other games that children enjoy, there is no positive side to this. ‘Momo’ is more than one account because copycats often join in as coverage grows, and more than one phone number associated with it has been found in Whatsapp. Please encourage your children to make the right choice and avoid this kind of game; they should also inform you if they receive such a message. We would ask that you stress the importance of knowing how to do the following:
 Confidently saying ‘no’ to invitations from strangers to play games
 Not clicking on unidentified links
 Knowing how to ‘block’ unknown numbers or friend requests

You may also wish to read the guide below: