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Is the Momo app striking again?

אילנה כהנא, הדרכת הורים | אימון אישי
5 days ago



In recent weeks, I’ve heard the name "Momo" mentioned several times alongside words like "ghost," "scary," "not scary," "it’s real," "it’s not real"... I heard it from second-grade children... and then also from one or two parents who overheard the conversation. Since the topic has already reached us, I decided to investigate and understand what it’s about. I found that it’s a free app officially rated for ages 16+ under the violence category.


I also found several articles on the subject, describing an app that challenges its users with violent and even suicidal tasks. How did this very frightening name make its way into the conversations of second-grade children? It’s enough that they were exposed to it through stories from a friend, an older sibling, or a neighbor... scary and threatening stories about how "Momo" could harm them if they don’t do this or that. So maybe you’ve blocked the ability to download age-inappropriate apps through parental controls, but today children are exposed to challenge videos through YouTube. They believe the stories they’re told, develop anxieties, and sometimes, in extreme cases, are even willing to carry out the challenges just to avoid harm to themselves or their loved ones.


What can be done?


1. Check the content your children are watching on YouTube.


2. Use parental controls on apps (including YouTube).


3. Talk to other parents in WhatsApp groups to see if the topic has come up.


4. Talk to your children about it. Explain to them that the people behind these apps have their own interests. Explain that the character isn’t real and cannot harm them. Teach them about their responsibility when they choose to perform actions someone else has asked them to do. Teach them to choose—when to say no! And convey to them that they can share and ask you about such topics.


5. Many of these contents "circulate" in children’s WhatsApp groups. Explain to them the rules of internet and WhatsApp use. Teach them (even if they don’t have a mobile phone yet) that if a friend shows them something scary, they have the right to say they don’t want to see it. (It’s your right to close your eyes, walk away, and say no!)


6. If the topic has come up in class—or even if it hasn’t—share it with the teacher, counselor, or school principal so they can stay alert. It’s possible that someone is spreading scary messages or stories during recess. The school staff can convey counter-messages, and together with you, stop the phenomenon.


7. When your child talks about their fear, don’t dismiss it. Listen, empathize, and help them process it. Address it together and help them cope. If the fear has escalated into anxiety and is affecting their quality of life and actions, it’s important to seek professional help to address the anxiety. Integrative coaching for children and teens can help with anxiety management, among other things.


8. This is an excellent opportunity to share things that scare you and how you overcome them.


9. Use this opportunity to explain to your child how to distinguish between reality and imagination. For example, in movies, there are scary characters, and we understand that they are fictional. Similarly, this is a character someone invented, and it doesn’t exist in reality.


Pay attention—some children will dismiss the issue outright, saying, "There’s no way it’s real." Some children will express fear from the very beginning. But there are children who, deep inside (regardless of their outward reaction), will listen, internalize the messages, and build an entire story in their heads. They’ll create a scenario where they imagine all the worst things happening to them. Then it may start manifesting in different ways—nightmares, fear of the dark, fear of being alone, and more... Stay alert. Some children have heard that "you’re not allowed to talk about it" or "you’re not allowed to tell your parents." If you notice a change—your child behaving differently, being more irritable, more anxious than usual, not wanting to sleep, having trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently at night, needing you more than usual—these and more are red flags that require investigation.


Collaboration between parents and the educational institution, along with open communication at home with the children, will strengthen the message that this is "nonsense," not real, and shouldn’t be passed on. Even if I’m not scared, another child might be. At the same time, it will stop children who choose to share and spread the topic.


When we take preventive actions, we don’t know what we’ve prevented. But perhaps we’ve saved one soul (likely more) from anxiety, dangerous actions, violence, or, God forbid, suicide—because it has already reached that point.


I’m attaching links to several articles on the subject that have been published in recent years, just so you understand what it’s about:


"Spreading fear on WhatsApp": The message you really don’t want to receive

Two children committed suicide because of a WhatsApp challenge

Parents, beware: The "Momo" suicide game has reached Israel

"Momo told him to pee in her bag": The game led to severe violence at a school in central Israel

Warning: This is the game endangering your children’s lives

Police investigating: Was the "Momo" app installed on Roy’s phone before his death?



 

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See you in the next post! 🌟

Ilana Cahana


 

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