Have You Seen This Image??? We’ve Got You Covered.
Ever since Kim Kardashian took to Instagram to warn her millions of followers about a so-called “Momo Challenge”, the internet has been flooded with news reports, Tweets and Facebook posts circulating the unsettling (and downright creepy) image below:
So what is the “Momo Challenge”? And is it actually real? Well, we’ve got all the answers for you here.
Momo Who?
For starters, the image is actually of a sculpture called “Mother Bird” created by Japanese special effects company, Link Factory for a horror-themed art gallery. The challenge on the other hand, according to multiple news outlets, centers around children and therefore begins in the places they spend the most (often unmonitored) time, such as YouTube videos, TV shows or even online games. The shocking image above is said to be embedded unexpectedly into programs as well-known as “Peppa Pig”, alongside a message that urges children to commit violent acts or harm themselves. The message even goes as far as to threaten to harm them or their family if they ignore it or seek help. So needless to say, this is some pretty dark stuff.
Is It Real?
Well, as scary as it sounds, fear not, because apparently it’s all an old hoax. According to The Atlantic, this image and stories about Momo actually started almost a year ago when local news outlets across the U.S. reported that the challenge was spreading among teens on WhatsApp, following a Facebook post by a concerned parent. Naturally, the panic was propelled by the media through posters and reports like this…
Today we've heard from hundreds of concerned schools and parents about the horrifying #Momo challenge which has reportedly been appearing in children's YouTube videos, causing panic and upset amongst young people. We hope you find our guide useful… https://t.co/Nuu4cUpBZD pic.twitter.com/t16m8GQ6Vt
— National Online Safety (@natonlinesafety) February 26, 2019
When in reality, as CTV (among many others) points out,
“While police agencies in Canada and the United Kingdom have issued warnings about the challenge, they were all based on secondhand information – not on any specific reports they had received. In fact, there have not been any official reports of individual incidents related to the Momo Challenge.”
Not to mention, a spokesperson for YouTube said that even if these videos had been made, they would be taken down instantly for violating YouTube’s policies (we can definitely attest to this argument).
So We Good?
Essentially, nothing has been proven to be true so yes, we good. Well…we still have this terrifying image that’s basically impossible to dodge on the internet…But otherwise, we fine. Hopefully this challenge and it’s recent popularity haven’t caused any legitimate harm, but it looks like this might just be another case of parents getting worked up over potential online “dangers” and media sources propagating these fears. Tide pods anyone???
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