MoMo: See what experts say about the case that terrifies children around the world

After challenges such as the “Blue Whale“, which resulted in more than 100 suicides of children and adolescents around the world, one more of these threats already worry parents: the MoMo Challenge.

In the text below, we explain who the MoMo, where it came from and what is the real risk for children when watching videos on YouTube (or YouTube Kids). And, perhaps most importantly: Are parents and schools right to share this story via WhatsApp? 

MoMo Challenge 

A MoMo is a fictional character. The terrifying visual was originally created in the form of a statue by a Japanese special effects company and displayed in a Japanese art gallery. This statue's face gained the internet and was used to create the newest "viral" ou “Fake news” that haunts parents and early childhood educators around the world: the MoMo Challenge. 

At the beginning, there in mid-2018, the MoMo became a "urban legend" when used in a prank where it was possible to send messages to a specific phone number in Japan, which would supposedly be answered by her with a macabre voice or messages. "phone number'. The conversation took place in several languages, with disturbing phrases, and caused concern among parents of children.

Time passed, that phone number stopped working, but now the case is back in the news after "alleged reports" indicate that excerpts from children's videos would have been edited with suicide instructions from the company. MoMo No. YouTube Kids and could be accessed by unsuspecting children. 

And on YouTube? 

In conversations by concerned parents and educators in the WhatsApp, videos and reports began to circulate that the terrifying character would be appearing in videos on the YouTube Kids, teaching children to commit suicide. In the messages, videos that had the false intention of proving the appearance of MoMo were shared like a fever. 

But the Google assured, in a press release published by the website propmark, that no video on your platform would be "contaminated" with MoMo, so what is being shared are videos edited later and made available outside the YouTube Kids. 

“Contrary to the reports presented, we have not received any recent evidence of videos showing or promoting the Momo challenge on YouTube Kids. Such content would violate our policies and would be removed immediately. We also offer all users ways to report content on both YouTube Kids and YouTube. Use of the platform by children under the age of 13 must always be done by YouTube Kids and under the supervision of a parent or guardian. It is possible that the figure called “Momo” appears in videos on YouTube, but only in those that provide context about what happened and comply with our policies. For more details, check the Child Safety page on YouTube.”

Google in a statement about the MoMo case

professional analysis 

Despite the furor over the sharing of false information, the challenge MoMo, according to international experts, does not pose any real danger to children. 

To Benjamin radford, researcher of United States Committee of Skeptical Inquiry, previously known as Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, the case MoMo gained the notoriety it has now because of parental panic.

"These fads are part of a moral panic, fueled by parents' concerns about what their children are doing." 

Benjamin Radford, in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine

Talking to the little ones and making them aware of internet safety, early on, is one of the tips presented by david emm, analyst of Kaspersky Lab, in its report on the challenge MoMo.

remember that "make friendships" with people online can also pose a danger to children's safety, so it's always good to ensure that little ones trust an adult's word on these occasions and in other situations that could pose a risk to their well-being. 

david emm also warned about the care to be taken with the children, not only in relation to the challenge MoMo, but to everything that little ones can be exposed to on the internet.  

security settings they also go a long way in reducing the dangers of children being exposed to inappropriate and harmful content. Blockages and usage reports are great tools for safe child browsing on the internet. 

Fake News and Care on the Internet 

The education and well-being of children is a full-time task and requires a lot of daily attention, especially on what little ones consume in terms of entertainment and information in this universe that is the internet. And with the advancement and popularization of the World Wide Web and its ease of access, threats, disguised as “challenges” to children's well-being, are always on the agenda for news and groups of parents and family members.

The case MoMo is just another one that arrives to show the power of the virality of information on the internet and how this information, the more shared, end up gaining a status of "truth" and causing people to panic. 

The sharing of information without its veracity ended up becoming something as commonplace as a simple like on a photo on Instagram and this has been transforming the reality of our days and causing panic, as in the case of the challenge MoMo. 

In the case of MoMo, the situation is really one of great farce, with no real confirmation of any suicide involving the challenge. O Center for a Safer Internet, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and samaritans, all UK institutes, guaranteed, after analyzing the case MoMo, there is no evidence of children injured or injured in any way from the challenge.  

“What is most important is for parents and people working with children to focus on internet safety methods” 

Spokesperson for the Samaritans in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian

The challenge MoMo it's just another big viral “Fake news” relentlessly shared by parents concerned about their children's exposure to inappropriate and dangerous content. But also a warning for parents and guardians to pay greater attention to controlling what their children access in the great world of the internet.