SDLP Councillor Brian Tierney has warned parents and young people of the internet ‘Momo challenge’ which encourages children to accept a WhatsApp contact who dares them to carry out dangerous tasks.
Derry Daily reported on Sunday warnings by police in Derry over the dangers of the ‘Momo challenge’ which is a doll figure with bulging eyes and a creepy grin.
Momo targets young children on social media.
The doll encourages them to add a contact on messaging service WhatsApp, then hounds them with violent images and dares.
It encourages them to self-harm and the ultimate post tells them to take their own lives.
Police believe the challenge is the work of hackers trying harvest personal information from gamers or young people watching videos on the YouTube channel.
Said Councillor Tierney: “This latest craze involves an eerie cartoon character popping up at the end of normal videos urging children to add a contact to WhatsApp which they then use to challenge the user into carrying out dangerous tasks.
“This craze appears to be targeting very young children who are much more impressionable and use apps like WhatsApp which many parents would trust are safe for their children to use.
“It is important that parents are vigilant and if they come across this they should report it to the PSNI mmediately.
“Our children need protected against the worst excesses of the internet and we need to make sure it is safe.
“Children will use the internet so banning it is not an option but policing it and keeping it safe is imperative,” he added.
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