Momo Challenge; Real or Hoax?
There is a horrifying character allegedly linked to a violent and controversial game that is said to drive players to commit suicide or inflict pain to themselves.
Behind this creepy game is a character called Momo. In reality, Momo is a sculpture displayed at Tokyo Horror Art Vanilla Gallery. It has bulging eyes out of her face and distorted smile.The actual title of the sinister-looking doll is Mother Bird, made by Midori Hayashi for Link Factory, a Japanese special effects company.
A warning posts is going viral on social media and other platforms, saying that parents and guardians should take extra care on their children’s access to the internet.
The challenge targets vulnerable teenagers just like, the blue whale challenge had gone viral last year.
The Momo challenge is a game that makes players complete a 50-day challenge. It includes instructions on how to hurt one’s self and send photos as evidence. It also includes scary activities such as going to the roof or edge of the bridge in the middle of the night, and eventually, commit suicide. Users are warned not to tell anyone, otherwise. their family will be hurt or killed.
The character became the face of the suicide game when a 12-year old from Argentina was found dead in her backyard and it was said that after examining her phone, they found a conversation with a 18-year old girl she met on social media and now questioning her.
The police officials believe the teenager’s intention was to “upload the video to social media as part of a challenge, crediting the Momo game” for the suicide.
However, reports linked to Momo challenge are few and there were still no conclusive evidence or direct link to the challenge from the cases of suicide.
What’s really bothering is how such creepy images and games bypassed parental controls and regulations. Links were sent to kid’s games and even kid’s channels such as youtube for children. The image itself can be distressing to children and the games can trigger teenagers especially those suffering from depression.They are obviously the targets.
Whether the challenge has something to do with the suicides and deaths or not, it’s still horrible to capitalize on teenager’s distress.The game itself is horrible. It goes to show that proper guidance is imperative and that stricter controls should be implemented when giving children access to the internet.
Let’s discuss aimtalk teachers:
- Have you ever heard of the Momo challenge before? What can you say about it?
- In your own opinion, what is the proper age to give children access to the internet? Why?
- What precautionary measures should be done to avoid children accessing inappropriate sites?
Vocabulary
inflict something on someone(v): to make someone suffer something unpleasant
bulge(v) : stick out in a rounded shape, especially because something is very fully or too tight.
distorted(adj): false
bypass(v): avoid obeying a rule, system, or someone in an official position
trigger(v): to make something happen very quickly.
capitalize(v): to use a situation or something in order to get an advantage
imperative(adj): extremely important and needing to be done or dealt with immediately
