How To Survive the Momo Challenge
*disclaimer* I am merely stating my opinion. Go do your own research. Seek professional help if you believe that you or your child may be experiencing anxiety, depression and/or suicidal thoughts or actions.
It’s incredibly easy surviving the dreaded Momo Challenge that’s been sweeping the nation’s news stations over the past month.
Fox 5 Atlanta – The Momo Challenge
Are you ready?
Ignore it. Just say no.
DO teach your kids about the dangers of fads, crazes, challenges, as well as depression and acts of violence, but as far as this particular “challenge” goes, it looks like it doesn’t have any substance to it.
While there has been a bunch of publicity warning parents about the dangers of the Momo Challenge and how it may lead kids down the dark path of depression and suicide, the truth behind the this latest craze is even more strange. After doing some brief research, it appears that the Momo Challenge doesn’t even exist. It seems to be nothing more than an Internet hoax.
So why the fear?
Its reputation is associated with violence, suicide and death, and that alone has many parents concerned for their kids. Add in the claims of this challenge allegedly being spotted in some YouTube videos for kids, as well as popping up in WhatsApp, and there you go. But that’s really as far as the reports go.
From what I’ve seen, there hasn’t been a single claim or a piece of evidence proving that kids have been contacted by the people associated with the Momo Challenge, and there hasn’t been any violence or death officially connected to it.
It seems like the full extent of the Momo Challenge is merely a picture of a weird looking creature and the mere assumption of there being some sort of wickedness or evil curse associated with it. And that itself can create a great deal of fear in both young kids as well as adults.
Momo Challenge mascot
It doesn’t help matters that the mascot used for the Momo Challenge looks a little bit weird. Apparently the creature is actually just a sculpture created by a Japanese artist years ago. Somebody saw pictures of it and decided to take the sculpture out of proportion to make it look like a sinister demon or monster. Add in an assumed deadly reputation, and there you go. Suddenly seeing this creature pop up in a video or part of a chat program can easily frighten many people, especially teenagers and young adults.
The Blue Whale Challenge
Another reason why the Momo Challenge is so frightening to parents is that about a year ago there was a craze known as the Blue Whale Challenge. Unlike the Momo Challenge, the Blue Whale Challenge was a very real series of steps designed to lead a person down a dark spiral and to ultimately commit suicide, completing the challenge. The steps required frequent contact with a “supervisor,” and later there was also contact with other “whalers” as a way of encouraging the victims to keep progressing along the series of tasks and to reach the final goal. There actually were some deaths directly associated with the Blue Whale Challenge.
But that’s just it.
The point of challenges is to give the person a set of instructions on how to complete it, whether it’s a quick challenge with just one or two steps, or something longer and more intricate such as the Blue Whale Challenge. Without any instructions or contact with a person directly associated with the challenge, then there simply is no challenge.
Do be on the lookout for people trying to impersonate the Momo Challenge. Just because it may not officially exist doesn’t mean that other people won’t try to take advantage of the situation for whatever reason, often for their own amusement. And of course, there’s also a chance that the articles saying it’s a hoax are just part of a disinformation campaign designed to ease parents’ fears and, thus, make it easier to take advantage of their kids.
The Momo Challenge gets its power by being associated with evil. Even though it seems that there’s really nothing that happens in the Momo Challenge, by attaching a creepy mascot, giving it a foreign-sounding name, and making the premise of the challenge sound deadly, then its job is done. People are now terrified over literally nothing.
Does this mean that parents can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief?
No.
As parents, your job is to stay on top of whatever the hell your kids are doing in their spare time, especially with their cell phones. It’s your job to teach them about the dangers of fads and crazes and many of these incredibly stupid “challenges” circulating on the Internet.
And, yes, it’s also your job to teach them about the Momo Challenge, even if it’s most likely just a big hoax. Go out there and do some research into this craze and see for yourself if it’s real or not. Then teach your kids how to appropriately respond should they ever see or encounter the Momo Challenge mascot.
Do your job and be a responsible PARENT, not their FRIEND.