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The Risks of Momo Challenge

So what is the Momo challenge? The Momo Suicide Challenge is a game which has roots in Japan. Essentially, it all started with Facebook group members daring themselves to contact an unknown number. Nowadays, the suicide game is popular on both Facebook and Whatsapp.

The anonymous person with the unknown number, who is commonly known as “Momo”, will instruct you to engage in odd activities, like waking up at night or overcoming a fear.

Children are then told to film themselves doing these activities and send it to Momo. If the challenge is successful, Momo will encourage you to partake in even more dangerous activities that involve harm – eventually leading to suicide.

More often than not, Momo won’t just message you normally. Momo’s messages may be filled with violent or scary content, and Momo will even call participants and intimidate them. Refusing to do the challenge will make Momo threaten to visit you and curse you?

It’s very too easy to see why children feel so pressured in this hideous challenge.

The bulging eyes, wide grin and warped features of Momo make it easy to believe that she’s real. Factor in the fact that children may have some difficulty distinguishing between reality and fantasy – together with peer pressure – and you have a disaster waiting to happen.

Interestingly, Momo herself isn’t real. Momo is actually a sculpture named “Mother Bird” by Midori Hayashi, a Japanese Artist (see below). It was an artwork exhibited in Tokyo’s horror Art Vanilla Gallery, and it was never intended to be used in a dangerous game on social media.

Is it real or a hoax?

The Momo challenge is real. Recently The Namibian newspaper reported on the deadly game that dares young children to take their own lives which claimed the life of a 10-year-old boy in Katutura. According to the boy's family, Kahambue Nyandee Hipose (10), was found hanging from the laundry line behind the family home by his uncle. Hipose was a Grade 5 pupil at Khomasdal Primary School. Bonny Matengu, school principal told The Namibian that Hipose and his friends were playing a game called “the momo challenge” during school hours, and later after school.The game apparently urges 'players' to commit suicide after receiving a certain image on their phone. According to his friends the last thing did together was play the momo challenge, and they (others) decided to stop the game, but Hipose said he was going to continue the game at home.



Why does it spread so much fear?

Now you know what is the Momo challenge. But what drove it to become viral? Well, it’s namely the fear factor. The intrigue causes kids find out “what is Momo challenge”, and from there, people drum up the hype to spread the Momo challenge. Other factors encourage the Momo challenge due to a few reasons:

· Social Media Apps like Facebook and Whatsapp are easily accessible today. Any unsuspecting child can just download it and be pressured into playing, thinking that there is no danger.

· Children’s brains are still developing. Children are still unable to differentiate fact from fiction. Don’t forget there’s also peer pressure. Both of these factors can make a creepy face and frightening messages become reality, leading to tragedies.

· Whatsapp uses encrypted technology and anyone can use it with just a phone number. This means that parents and police find it hard to trace messages coming from an account and are unable to keep an eye out for possible cyberbullying behaviour.

How can you protect your children from this cruel game?

Despite knowing what the Momo challenge is, you might be wondering how to protect your child from this viral influence. While not giving your child a smartphone or Whatsapp account may be easy, it may not be practical in our techno-centric world. Here are some sensible, easy tips to help protect your children.

Monitor and supervise your child’s online activity. You can ask your child for their phone and check through their Whatsapp activity briefly. Educate your children about the dangers. Let your child know that suicide won’t benefit anyone, and that it will only hurts their loved ones. Listening to Momo’s instructions won’t do anyone good: It will just cause people to get hurt.

Explain to your children about the dangers of the internet. Tell your child not to trust everything they read or watch on the internet. Many videos are doctored to make the impossible look real. And people can easily pretend to be someone whom they’re not, such as Momo. While you may be able to easily differentiate between someone playing a sick joke and a genuine warning, your child can’t. Be open with your kids, and encourage them to be a positive influence. If your child is old enough to understand clear risks, talk to them openly about this game. Tell them why they should not participate in it. Also, encourage them to be a pillar of support for their peers!

Delay giving them a smartphone. Young children shouldn’t be given a smartphone. For older kids, any normal phone that can make outgoing calls is more than enough. Be a good role model by limiting your own smartphone use, especially when your children are around. Start with simple habits like keeping the phone at home when going to dinner and leaving it off before bed (yes, even if you have to buy an alarm clock!).

Set clear rules at home for using the smartphone, such as a no-phone schedule (during meals, before bedtime) and limiting when your children have access to phones. If your younger kids use Whatsapp, make sure it’s only on the phone you or your partner uses.