Kim Kardashian asks YouTube to stop the potentially dangerous 'Momo Challenge'
Kim Kardashian has heard about the “Momo Challenge,” and she wants no part of it circulating online.
The KKW Beauty mogul leveraged her nearly 130 million followers in a plea to YouTube, asking the company to “please help” and remove all “Momo Challenge” videos. Kardashian shared screenshots on her Instagram Story of worried parents posting about the challenge, which supposedly encourages child suicide.
As the viral ghost story goes, “Momo” appears on screen in certain games or YouTube videos targeting kids. When the character emerges, the child is told to communicate with her at a number via WhatsApp, and is given instructions to complete dangerous challenges, sometimes involving self-harm and even suicide — or else she will put a curse on them.
But is the game even real?
YouTube released a statement saying that the company has “seen no recent evidence of videos promoting the Momo Challenge.” However, it encourages anyone who has seen “harmful or dangerous challenges on YouTube” to “flag them to us immediately.”
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
Reports of the “Momo Challenge” have been circulating since last year. The image associated with the female character is actually a sculpture made in 2016 by Keisuke Aisawa of the Link Factory, a Japanese company that makes horror film props and special effects, per Rolling Stone. The photos of Momo then started floating around Reddit. The origin of the challenge is unclear, if it is indeed true, and many people believe that it’s a hoax.
Jesus christ, ppl with hundreds of thousands of followers are spreading this. It’s NOT REAL! Stop spreading viral chain mail stuff (this hoax has spread so many times over again it’s a meme in itself) https://t.co/4pgLHmWmtu
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) February 27, 2019
to all mommas freaking out about the momo thing; it’s not legitimate. it’s a hoax. It all originated as a facebook page that sent out unsettling and eerie messages to random users and it used that creepy picture as it’s profile picture. Obviously, there is always going to be
— peach scone (@purrfectkittten) February 26, 2019
regulated specifically for your children/their age groups though!
— peach scone (@purrfectkittten) February 26, 2019
The Washington Post looked into the challenge in September, finding that reports of suicides around the world that were supposedly associated with the challenge have not been proven. Still, police are taking no chances. According to CBS, authorities have reissued warnings to parents since the challenge resurfaced in the United Kingdom.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
