A Suicide Game For Teens? Really?

As if we needed something else to worry about… If you haven’t heard of the Momo Challenge – and you have children – you need to check this out.  This is an internet game that allegedly lures kids to complete escalating tasks that are dangerous and involve self-harm.  The final challenge in this game is suicide.  By blackmailing the kids to do these tasks, Momo gets kids to do things that they normally wouldn’t do. Kids can download the WhatsApp game on their smart phones. “Momo” is a terrifying image of a girl with bulging eyes. So far, there are at least 3 teen suicides cases that may be linked to this Momo Challenge.

Although the authorities have not determined whether or not the Momo Challenge is real or not, parents need to understand how these challenges work so they can monitor their children’s activities.  A few years ago, a Russian “Blue Whale Challenge” asked players to do 50 daily challenges – many involved self-mutilation – and ended with suicide.  At least 130 people died as a result of this game.

Tweens between 12 to 14 years old are the most vulnerable to these terrifying games.  Check the games your children play on their phones and computers.  This game appears to have started as a Facebook group, and WhatsApp has over a billion users.  We need to protect our kids from sick people who threaten, blackmail, and cyberbully our youth.

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