The suicide challenges and games have been shaking the whole internet creating a cloud of worry among parents and children. The most popular of which are the Momo and the Blue Whale challenge.
Whatever it is and whoever created it, the main goal is to entice, lure and trap the young minds into the challenge, making them harm themselves and others and take their own lives at the end.
Can we do something about it? Definitely yes.
But first things first, we need to understand where it all began.
Whatever it is and whoever created it, the main goal is to entice, lure and trap the young minds into the challenge, making them harm themselves and others and take their own lives at the end.
Can we do something about it? Definitely yes.
But first things first, we need to understand where it all began.
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Where does Momo come from?
No one knows exactly where Momo originated, or who is behind the disturbing trend, though it was linked to at least seven phone numbers beginning with codes from Japan and multiple countries across Latin America.
The Momo challenge then started popping up in videos that were posted to social media.
The Momo avatar was created by Japanese special effects company Link Factory and designed by Midori Hayashi who has no relation whatsoever to the game.
The scary design originally featured at Tokyo's horror art Vanilla Gallery under the name Mother Bird.
Momo's features include a painfully gaunt face, bulging eyes, and an unnaturally thin and long smile.
In September a 12-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy in Colombia are said to have killed themselves after playing the suicide challenge game on WhatsApp.
The tragic deaths happened within the space of just 48 hours in the municipality of Barbosa, in the northwest Colombian area of Santander.
Local media report that the body of the 16-year-old boy was found first and that it is believed he knew the 12-year-old girl.
He reportedly passed the game Momo game onto her before his death.
Within 48 hours, she too was found dead. It is reported she was found hanged.
The two youngsters who died had their phones seized by police, who say they found messages linked with the game.
No one knows exactly where Momo originated, or who is behind the disturbing trend, though it was linked to at least seven phone numbers beginning with codes from Japan and multiple countries across Latin America.
The Momo challenge then started popping up in videos that were posted to social media.
The Momo avatar was created by Japanese special effects company Link Factory and designed by Midori Hayashi who has no relation whatsoever to the game.
The scary design originally featured at Tokyo's horror art Vanilla Gallery under the name Mother Bird.
Momo's features include a painfully gaunt face, bulging eyes, and an unnaturally thin and long smile.
In September a 12-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy in Colombia are said to have killed themselves after playing the suicide challenge game on WhatsApp.
The tragic deaths happened within the space of just 48 hours in the municipality of Barbosa, in the northwest Colombian area of Santander.
Local media report that the body of the 16-year-old boy was found first and that it is believed he knew the 12-year-old girl.
He reportedly passed the game Momo game onto her before his death.
Within 48 hours, she too was found dead. It is reported she was found hanged.
The two youngsters who died had their phones seized by police, who say they found messages linked with the game.
Detective Sergeant Elaine McCormill from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: 'This extremely disturbing challenge conceals itself within other harmless-looking games or videos played by children and when downloaded, it asks the user to communicate with 'Momo' via popular messaging applications such as WhatsApp.
'It is at this point that children are threatened that they will be cursed or their family will be hurt if they do not self-harm.'
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The Blue Whale Challenge
The story of the Blue Whale challenge began with Rina Palenkova.
On 22 November 2015, Rina, a teenager living in south-eastern Russia, posted a selfie.
In the photo, she is standing outside. A black scarf is wrapped around her mouth and nose. She is sticking her middle finger up at the camera. It looks like it's covered in dried blood.
The photo's caption read: "Nya bye". The next day, she took her own life.
Rina Palenkova's death was discussed in a certain type of chat room hosted by Russia's largest social network VKontakte. These forums were places where teenagers met to talk about everyday things like school and which classmates they fancied, as well as darker subject matter: depression, loneliness, and suicide.
Scary stories were exchanged. The spookiness of these stories came from how real they seemed, something often achieved through fake pictures or doctored footage.
It is the online equivalent of the claim made by classic horror films that they are "based on true events". Because at the heart of any good ghost story is a sliver of plausibility.
It was in these groups, where the line between fact and fiction was often blurred, that users posted feverishly about Rina. In some instances, they lauded her for ending her life. Videos purporting to be her final moments were posted online.
But amid the rumors, there was a problem.
"Nobody actually knew the true story behind her suicide," says Daria Radchenko, a senior researcher at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration who has looked into the so-called Blue Whale challenge.
The game creator
In November 2016, 21-year-old Philipp Budeikin was arrested, charged with inciting teenagers to suicide.
Budeikin appeared to admit culpability. He told Russian media outlet Saint-Petersburg.ru: "There are people, and then there is a biodegradable waste. I was cleansing our society of such people. Sometimes I start to think that it's wrong, but in the end, I had the feeling I was doing the right thing."
He said he had created the game in 2013 under the name "f57", combining the sound of the start of his name, Philipp, and the last two digits of his phone number. On 10 May 2017, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Why children are lured?
Sharing and comments on social media had made it trending and created a level of curiosity about the game. It was light and fun at first until it dives into a deep web-like experience where victims get ensnared.
Moreso, this game fundamentally targets children and teen because they are the most vulnerable and more likely to be hooked into the psychological nature of the challenge.
What to do?
—Teachers and parents need to educate the children about online safety and encourage them to make the right choices and avoid this game.
—Say NO to invitations in playing games from strangers
— Do not click any pop-ups or unidentified links
—Block unknown numbers and friend requests
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