Charities have asserted that hysteria around the "suicide" game is causing harm to children, with no evidence the challenge exists
A sinister “suicide” challenge game for children has been unmasked as a hoax by charities.
Parents across Britain have been expressing concern about Momo – which reportedly challenged players to a series of violent challenges, culminatinmg in self harm.
Children’s charities have said there is no evidence that the game is nothing but a moral panic spread by parents, but the resulting hysteria poses a risk to young people.
Warnings about the supposed Momo challenge suggest that children are being encouraged to kill themselves or commit violent acts after receiving messages on messaging service WhatsApp from users with a profile picture of a distorted image of woman with bulging eyes.
There have also been claims - subsequently disproved - that the material has appeared in a video featuring Peppa Pig among YouTube’s content aimed at children.
News stories about the Momo challenge have attracted hundreds of thousands of shares on Facebook this week.
Charities have said they have received more phone calls about the game by members of the media than parents.
A spokesperson for the Samaritans said: “These stories being highly publicised and starting a panic means vulnerable people get to know about it and that creates a risk.
“Currently we’re not aware of any verified evidence in this country or beyond linking Momo to suicide. What’s more important is parents and people who work with children concentrate on broad online safety guidelines.”
“Even though it’s done with best intentions, publicising this issue has only piqued curiosity among young people,” said Kat Tremlett, harmful content manager at the UK Safer Internet Centre.
“It’s a myth that is perpetuated into being some kind of reality."
The NSPCC has said there is no evidence the game poses a threat to children, and echoed concerns raised about levels of hysteria among parents.
Social media giants have also denied that the game has appeared on their channels.
A YouTube spokesperson said: “Contrary to press reports, we have not received any evidence of videos showing or promoting the Momo challenge on YouTube. Content of this kind would be in violation of our policies and removed immediately.”
