Kim Kardashian warned her millions of social media followers on Feb. 27 about the so-called “Momo challenge,” which is said to encourage self-harm among children.
The “Momo game” or “Momo challenge” gained notoriety last summer and was first called a hoax by some websites before it was turned into a meme.
“It doesn’t come on instantly so it’s almost as if it waits for you to leave the room then comes on in mid-show. There are also videos of cartoons doing sexual things, violent things and they may look innocent enough at first glance but trust they aren’t,” Kardashian, a mother, added.
She added: “YouTube - please help!”
Kardashian’s warning comes as 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 wrote.
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.
“Even basic open source research suggests that ‘Momo’ is run by hackers looking for personal info…’Momo’ isn’t going to crawl out of your child’s phone and kill them,” Irish police added.
U.K. schools this week have also issued warnings about the game.
The Haslingden Primary School in Rossendale, England, also issued a warning on Facebook.
The game includes asking children to harm themselves and photograph it to continue playing the game, according to Newsweek. The game supposedly ends when a user takes their own life and posts a video or photo on social.
CBS News reported that officials in Argentina investigated the game after a 12-year-old died, but details of the case are spurious.
The disturbing image has nothing to do with a game, but it’s a sculpture by a Japanese artist, Keisuke Aisawa, the CBS report noted.
A YouTube spokesperson told CBS on Feb. 26: “Our Community Guidelines prohibit harmful and dangerous challenges, including promoting the Momo challenge, and we remove this content quickly when flagged to us.”
