It is my considered view that a lot of the internet ‘challenges’ that we see (and fall prey to), from time to time are just a sign of terminal human stupidity. Planking, the Ice Bucket Challenge, Mannequin Challenge, Invisible Box Challenge, Blue whale challenge, the Condom Snorting challenge and most recently the Kiki Challenge…are just some of the many that we’ve seen in recent times. We now have the Momo challenge.
In general, it is possible to divide these challenges into the stupid and the sinister. Some are born out of some stupid internet trend and end up causing some injuries, arrests and so on. Others are merely sinister. For instance the Blue Whale challenge was a series of dares that culminated in a suicide dare. This is something that triggered a spate of horrifying suicides.
The momo challenge is similar in that it challenges kids to perform dangerous tasks. The challenge is viral on social media, typically via Facebook groups and WhatsApp messages.
The numbers appear to originate from Japan, Columbia and Mexico. They reach out using the image of a ghoulish doll; probably to pique the curiosity of people. Similar to the previous such challenge, this one also is thought to dare children to perform a series of strange challenges culminating in calls to commit suicide.
A 12 year old girl in Argentina recently took her own life; an incident thought to be linked to the challenge. She filmed her actions prior to the challenge. No cases of the challenge have yet been reported in India.
It is always a good idea for parents to keep an eye on the online activities and browsing history of their kids. Now parents are advised to speak to their kids about the importance of not responding to any strangers who get in touch and not give out any personal information. People are also advised to be vigilant about spotting any change in behaviour among members of the family or among friends.
The Mumbai Police have issued this warning against the Momo Challenge via Twitter and have invited citizens to inform the police via the 100 number if any unknown numbers try to get in touch….because not all momos are to be eaten!
There is one view that the supposed dangers of the challenge are highly exaggerated and that this is just a hoax meant to extract information from people. In either case, it is a good idea to not to engage at all with unknown numbers and to report any suspicious activity that seeks any kind of personal information.
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