After Blue Whale Challenge, is Momo Challenge Pushing Teens to Suicide on WhatsApp?

Remember the Blue Whale challenge that pushed teens to commit suicide through a series of instructions from a stranger over the Internet? A similar challenge is apparently making its way in the online space but this time, through the Facebook-owned chat platform WhatsApp. Reports from around the globe are indicating a sculpture's image being spread on WhatsApp along with several challenges that threaten the lives of the receivers. The challenges come in the form of extreme behaviours, just like the ones seen during the Blue Whale challenge.

What is Momo challenge?

Momo challenge is a suicide-inducing game being spread on WhatsApp wherein a disturbing picture of a sculpture is being forwarded along with several instructions for the teens to display extreme behaviour in the form of a challenge. The sculpture has reportedly been created by a Japanese artist Midori Hayashi and neither the sculpture nor the artist has any relevance to the game. The sculpture of a "Mother Bird" is on display in Tokyo's Vanilla Gallery, along with other displays of horror art.

The Effect

Till now, the Momo challenge has been linked to the death of a 12-year old Argentinian girl as per a report by Buenos Aires Times. Following this, the Cops in Argentina are searching for the “adolescent with whom she exchanged those messages”. Even the National Police of Spain has issued a warning to the parents against the Momo challenge.

Fake or Hoax?

Experts are believing the Momo challenge to be a tool for cyber-criminals to extract personal data of the victim. It is unclear how widespread the game is and hence is not being considered a real threat directed towards the purpose of inducing suicidal tendencies among the young. However, cyber experts still advice the young internet users as well as their parents to be on a lookout for such "absurd" challenges and not fall into their trap.