Board warns parents to be vigilant after Momo Challenge game alert

THE Film and Publication Board (FPB) has urged parents to be vigilant and closely monitor their children’s online activities, especially games downloaded on various App stores or from other online sources.

Lynette Kamineth,  Manager Communications and Ublic Education of the FPB, said that it had been brought to the Board’s attention that the game Momo Challenge was a form of cyber bulling targeting young children which encouraged self harm and could possibly lead to suicide.

FPB urges parents to be vigilant and closely monitor children’s online activities. It has come to our attention that the game, Momo Challenge is a form of cyberbullying targeting young children. It encourages self-harm and may even lead to suicide. https://t.co/x18OiwXBdy pic.twitter.com/yWzHxwmLcG

— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) February 28, 2019

“The “Momo Challenge” appears as a scary image on online platforms with requests for the user to contact “Momo” on WhatsApp through one of several contact numbers.  Reports claim that the character instructs children to complete challenges that they must keep secret or “Momo” will kill them,” she explained.

According to FPB’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr Maria Motebang , the Board’s online monitors had conducted a search on legitimate and known App stores and were unable to find reference to the game.  However, she said there was a possibility that the game may be shared on a peer-to-peer basis.

“Parents and guardians are therefore urged to monitor their children’s devices and report such content on the FPB hotline number 0800 148 148 or www.fpbhotline.org.za,” she said.

Although there are no confirmed incidents in South Africa, the FPB has urged parents to take note of the following tips in keeping themselves or those in their care safe online:

• Download monitoring Apps on your device.  These Apps monitor your child’s online activities and can be set to:
  • Alert you when your child logs on to an App.
  • Allow you to set limits of how much time they can spend online using their devices.
  • Alerts you when the child tries to download an App.
  • Allows you to grant permission for your child to download an App.
• Always supervise your children when they are online and get to know the games they play or videos they access on platforms such as YouTube.
• Be aware that the internet does not only offer fun activities, there are also criminal activities.
• Teach children not to share personal information and to ensure their privacy settings are always on.
• Assist them to identify activities or people that make them feel uncomfortable and to report such activities immediately to their parents.
• Teach children to block any person who bullies them and to report to an adult.
• Ensure that the devices they have access to are restricted to age suitable content.
• Many social networks require users to be 13 years or older.  If your children have social media accounts, ensure that you check their privacy settings and who they interact with.

If you see videos including harmful or dangerous challenges on YouTube, we encourage you to flag them to us immediately. These challenges are clearly against our Community Guidelines. More info here: https://t.co/H0C5tCfn5S

— YouTube (@YouTube) February 27, 2019

“We urge parents to ensure that they adhere to age restrictions as assigned by the FPB.  Age appropriate content goes a long way towards protecting your young ones from premature exposure to content that causes them psychological and developmental harm,” Dr Motebang said.

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