We’ve had some questions on that “Momo Challenge”, and if we think it’s a real threat. What is it? News stories are making the rounds of kids YouTube videos having hidden clips 1/2 way through the videos suggesting kids to hurt themselves or others, with ‘Momo’, a scary doll, scaring them into doing it. Personally, the image of ‘Momo’ is scary enough (it’s a bust from a horror movie sculptor, and its meant to catch your attention…which is exactly what it does!)
So…is there any truth to this? Snopes.com has always been good at debunking internet hoaxes, and published a great article about the challenge, and it’s subsequent social media craze recently: https://www.snopes.com/news/2019/02/26/momo-challenge-suicide-game/
So, what’s the verdict? Spoiler alert…it’s both! YouTube, and Kids YouTube have never been something you should let your kid have free reign of- period. There are probably some rare instances where YouTube videos were hacked and ‘spliced’ with suggestive content, but it’s very few and far between, and now erroneous news stories are glamorizing it. All this extra attention makes the media- and kids- want to google “What is Momo”, and try to find these videos themselves…which is exacerbating the problem. This is nothing “new”; this is actually a few years old, but it’s gaining popularity now because it’s being shared on social media and people are spreading news articles about it without considering the source or accuracy.
Bottom line: If you’re going to let your young kids watch YouTube, watch it with them and subscribe to trusted channels where you have vetted the source and approved it. Also, be cautious about what you share online, and try to verify accuracy or research before sharing a post with others. No technology use should be unattended- whether the app is “designed for kids” or not.