I had read about the “Momo Challenge” in The Week magazine. It had nothing to do with me, so I skimmed the article and shared the info with Alan. Both of us commented about how scary it must be for kids and parents to have to deal with this. How crazy is it that someone can cut and splice the Momo Challenge onto kids’ shows Utube, let alone design an App? The challenges evidently start pretty easy and then turn dangerous and scary. There have been a few suicides that have been linked to this challenge, however, in the articles that I’ve read police haven’t proven it yet.
Any adult who works with kids needs to be aware of this issue because if you see a change in a child/teen, ask what’s going on? “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Alan yelled at me for showing him this pic.
He said, “That thing’s very scary looking.”
It didn’t bother me.
A week after I had skimmed the article, Letty, a friend of mine texted me to tell me that she needs to talk to me. Immediately I called. Her eight-year-old daughter was watching an age-appropriate movie online when the above picture popped up. Her daughter freaked. Momo told her to do something, but I can’t remember what. Now she’s been having nightmares for a week and is scared that the Momo character is going to come and hurt her. Letty was extremely distraught and didn’t know what to do to help her daughter, so she was hopeful that I had a few suggestions.
I recommended that she stop by a Spiritual store and pick up a crystal that her daughter can hold or place it in her pocket or backpack. Then I told her to tell her daughter that the crystal will help keep her safe. (This is very important for anyone, to feel safe, especially children. Maybe even ask your child what will help him/her feel safe. If the child is young it could be a favorite doll or stuffed animal.) Next, light a candle and tell your child to look at the flame and memorize what it looks like. “Then close your eyes and see that flame getting larger and larger, so it’s surrounding you and then watch the bright flame fill the entire room. Tell your child or teen that this is a beautiful wall of protection that nothing can break through it. MAKE SURE YOU BLOW THE CANDLE OUT AND REMOVE IT FROM THE ROOM. Also, create a prayer of protection. Ask your angels to come in, Christ, etc; just ask for their protection.
Of course, I suggested that Letty call the school and to let them know what’s happened because the more the school knows what’s going on at home, the more they can help and be supportive. Also, if other parents have called in to share that their child had seen Momo or had it interrupt a show also, the school will realize it’s a problem. Kids will be afraid and have difficulty concentrating. There are usually counselors on site. But if the school realizes there’s a lot of kids reacting to this awful prank, then the district will bring in outside counselors. Sometimes the school will have an assembly to talk to the kids or teach the teachers some techniques to help the children deal with their fear. Occasionally, the principal will send a letter home to explain the problem, and suggest some monitoring of internet usage and list therapists outside the school.
As a parent you can block certain sites that you don’t want your child to watch or you can monitor what they do watch. Parents need to talk to their children AND teens about what sites are acceptable to watch and what aren’t.
APPS TO MONITOR KIDS ACTIVITY ONLINE – There’s tons out there. Check their ratings. Go to Staples or Best Buy to get help on how to set it up.
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