We have seen an increase in the number of social media posts circulating about the urban myth known as,
#MomoChallenge and would like to re-assure parents or carers of young children who are concerned or are looking for tips to keep their children safe.
It is believed that children are contacted by ‘Momo’ who asks them to perform dangerous challenges, it has also been suggested that ‘Momo’ has infected a number of platforms, including: YouTube, Fortnite and WhatsApp. We are unaware of any reports of this nature within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
More recently some of the posts we have seen state that, ‘Momo’ will contact you via WhatsApp and in doing so will infect your phone/device and have access to your data. Adding a contact on WhatsApp, does not give them access to your data.
As always we would encourage parents and carers to have open and honest conversations with their children around their activity online.
Three quick simple tips for keeping your children safe online, include:
🚫 Take it back to basics – if a stranger contacts you online, do not respond.
📲 Remember, there are age limits on apps and websites for a reason, always make sure the apps on your child’s device is appropriate
ðŸ—£ï¸ Make sure your child knows if they are concerned about something they have seen or been in contact with online, they should talk to a trusted adult.
For further information on the Momo challenge, visit the parent zone website:
https://parentzone.org.uk/article/three-minute-briefing-momo-challenge
Tel: 07928 103850 | Email the Vicar
