After Blue Whale, new Momo WhatsApp Challenge is triggering suicide among teens

Following the horrific blue whale challenge, that spread on social media like wildfire, and consumed lives of more than 100  children, an unsettling new “game” called the Momo WhatsApp challenge has been reported in some parts of Latin America.According to a report by The Sun, the so-called game is feared to be linked to the death of a 12-year-old girl in Argentina.What is the Momo WhatsApp challenge?The suicide challenge, which started on Facebook according to ZeeNews and on Reddit according to The Independent, however, is now being spread via Whatsapp, and hence the name.The challenge has been linked with a bizarre and disturbing image of a girl’s face, which seems to be distorted. This image is reportedly a creation of Japanese artist Midori Hayashi, who is not associated with the game in any way.The picture is being used by people on WhatsApp to trick young people into extreme behaviour including taking their own lives.Children are made to contact with random strangers, who apparently forward them the instruction of the game, which eventually lead to suicide, similar to the Blue Whale Challenge.The local police and cybercrime authorities have been warning parents about the challenge and how parents needs to step in and have a conversation about this with their kids.[caption id="attachment_4906741" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Representational Image.[/caption]Has the challenge reached India?While there are no reports of the challenge affecting anyone in India yet, but social media is an open platform and things don’t really take time to spread there.Regardless of the challenge being in India or not, if you are a child, block any message on WhatsApp or Facebook that asks you to harm yourself. If you are disturbed, talk to your parents, friends or anyone you feel comfortable with.And if you are a parent, you need to monitor what your kid does, analyse their behaviour. Pay attention if your child is behaving differently, hurting themselves. And above all, sit down with your kid and let them know that it’s ok to come to talk to you about anything.Stay safe! Don’t let the insane perpetrators of such a challenge take on the best of you.