Recent reports have been stating that the “Momo Suicide Challenge” has returned via YouTube videos containing Fortnite and kid-focused content. That said, YouTube has officially responded, denying that any such material has appeared on their platform recently.
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“Contrary to press reports, we’ve not received any recent evidence of videos showing or promoting the Momo challenge on YouTube,” a YouTube spokesperson said. “Content of this kind would be in violation of our policies and removed immediately.”
Many people around the Internet are quite aware of Momo and the associated challenge that asks people to harm themselves. One concerned mother from Swindon, England told The Sun:
“The video paused half way through, but he didn’t press pause. Then the Momo face popped up and was making weird noises. He couldn’t hear everything it said but it was saying ‘I’m going to kill you’ and he thinks it said ‘I will hurt your friends.’ He turned it off straight away and ran downstairs. He was absolutely terrified. He wouldn’t leave my side at all after it happened. He wouldn’t stay in a room alone and he had to sleep with me in my bed last night. He asked for our German shepherd to sleep on my bed also so she could chase away Momo if she got into my room.”
For those who don’t know, the character Momo is actually a sculpture called “Mother Bird,” and it was created by Japanese artist Keisuke Aisawa.
The Momo Suicide Challenge went viral again after parents in the U.K., much like the one from above, began finding it on WhatsApp and in YouTube videos of Fortnite, Peppa Pig, and the like. A WhatsApp spokesperson told CBS News in a statement:
“WhatsApp cares deeply about the safety of our users. It’s easy to block any phone number and we encourage users to report problematic messages to us so we can take action.”
It’s likely that Momo will go away once more, but for the time being, just make sure you’re keeping an eye out for any dangerous challenges and report them.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Is YouTube covering up reports of Momo on their platform to avoid further controversy surrounding them? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
Thanks, The Daily Dot.
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