A psychologist has described the viral “Momo challenge” as largely a hoax, saying that the instructions for the game—which allegedly encourage self-harm or even suicide in children—probably aren’t real.
She said it’s “the modern equivalent of the monster under the bed,” but acknowledges that a small number of children may have been disturbed.
“The sculpture was originally part of an art exhibition in Tokyo and had absolutely nothing to do with any ‘challenge’ but somewhere along the line someone has started this hoax and it has spread,” she said.
She said that “if a child is/has been affected, then we would be better focusing upon the underlying psychological reasons behind that child’s vulnerability.”
“More generally, we should be focusing upon providing the younger generation with the tools they need to become resilient to online content, through education and support—including equipping them with the skills to identify hoaxes and encouraging them to become critical observers of what they see online, which would be much more beneficial than headlines and panic around extreme crazes or rumors,” the professor said.
Branley-Bell said another online craze will come along, like Momo or Slenderman.
“There will no doubt be another challenge that comes along, however, it is undoubtedly likely to involve an element of fear—whether that’s through the character fronting the hoax, such as the haunting imagery associated with Momo and Slenderman, and/or a fear of the consequences, i.e., the threat that something bad will happen to you or your family if you do not follow through with the challenges,” she said.
What’s not a hoax is the terrifying nature of the image.
The disturbing images of the bug-eyed bird-woman are very real, and some schools and a police force issued warnings about them showing up in YouTube videos for kids.
“My son, when we would put him to bed he would be scared and he would be like what about Momo?” Sara Markham said of her child.
Police, Schools Issue Warnings
Police in Ireland issued a warning on social media about the online game.“Ensure that the devices they have access to are restricted to age-suitable content,” the office explained.
The police force also suggested the alleged suicide threat posed Momo game could be overblown and might be merely a way for hackers to exploit people.
“If you’re a parent of young children or teenagers, you ought to be aware of the #MomoChallenge, a game which allegedly encourages children to perform acts of self-harm via online messages received on Whatsapp and You Tube,” said the police department on Twitter.
The office said there is “a lot of misleading information” spreading online about the challenge.
Several schools in the United Kingdom have also issued warnings about the online challenge.
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