On-line safety

Momo Challenge - keeping children safe on-line

It has come to our attention that a number of children are accessing and talking about the Momo website challenge on Youtube. It really is a sinister site which could frighten children. Please see and read the information below which tells you everything about it. We are sure you will want to discuss this with your children to protect them as they access internet from home.

Reminded your children of 2 simple rules should anything concern them whilst on-line.

1 Turn if off/Stop Looking

2 Tell an Adult

The information below will help you discuss this matter further if you wish. Please always ensure that parental controls are updated.

What is Momo?

The avatar used by Momo is an image of a woman with creepy features and bulging eyes taken from the work of a Japanese special effects company called Link Factory, who is not associated with the game in any way.

How does the Momo Challenge work?

The Momo game involves challenging children and teens to add or message a particular Momo-associated contact on their WhatsApp with an unknown number. This unknown contact is supposed to be the terrifying “Momo”. Several different phone numbers have been associated with Momo on WhatsApp making it unclear who exactly is responsible for the messages.

According to many online stories, most teens attempting the challenge don’t ever hear back from “Momo”. Those who have, claim that the mysterious messages coming from “Momo” send users violent images, followed by threats if the player refuses to follow their directions. Often the users are encouraged to harm themselves or else their private information will be shared publicly. Other times, “Momo” is said to have threatened to hurt their friends or family in order to coerce them into doing what “Momo” says to do.

Photos of interactions, however, are extremely difficult to come by, leading many to assume this whole thing could be just a hoax. Others believe that “Momo” is more about acquiring personal information and perhaps installing spyware, rather than threats.

What Can Parents Do?

Even when these social media challenges are a “hoax” the story, images and videos like this one can be disturbing and troubling for younger children and teenagers. Experts always recommend talking to your children about how these videos are not real and that the challenges issued should not be taken seriously.

Online safety Guide for Parents

IT evolves very quickly and it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends. The documents below are designed to help keep your children and family safe when online.

For a wider range of information on these and other categories please see the websites in the links below and the documents attached.

As usual, children will be carrying out on-line safety activities linked to Safer Internet Day (SID)

Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally and this year the  theme is: 'Together for a better internet'

Have a look at the link below: