Social networking giant says it will remove content that promotes the phenomenon
A spokeswoman for the social networking giant said the company was “aware of recent press coverage about the ‘Momo’ challenge in Ireland but we have not received reports about it from users, through our in-app reporting channels”.
According to some reports, phone users are encouraged to make contact with someone named ‘Momo’ on the WhatsApp messaging platform. The individual is then supposedly sent graphic threats and told to perform dangerous tasks to prevent harm coming to themselves or their families. In a blog post on the website of the London School of Economics, technology journalist and internet safety advocate Larry Magid wrote that there are risks of child and teen suicide associated with the inappropriate use of technology, “but every day hundreds of millions of children and teens pick up their smartphones or access websites without horrible consequences”.