The Mumbai Police have issued a warning against the Momo challenge, an online game that has been doing rounds on social media and seen picking up in different parts of the world.
The Mumbai Police in their warning posted on their Twitter page on Saturday, said, “How about interacting with us on the widely known #Dial100 than on unknown numbers, to beat the challengers in their own game!” They added the hashtags ‘No No Mo Mo’ and ‘Momo challenge,’ and the tagline ‘Not all momos are meant to be consumed’ in a bid to spread awareness.
The Momo challenge was started on Facebook, but is now spreading via Whatsapp. ‘Momo’ is a social media account on WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube, which uses the image of a piece of horrific artwork called ‘Mother Bird’ by Link Factory to induce curiosity among children. The account challenges them to communicate with an unknown number, and complete a series of violent acts that ultimately end in death. If one refuses to follow the game’s orders, he or she is sent threatening and disturbing images. This account seems to be connected to three numbers in Japan, Mexico and Columbia.
So far, not many have heard about this and no cases have been reported in India, but the challenge is spreading quickly. Parag Ajgaonkar, principal, NM College, said, “I have not heard of the Momo challenge yet, but since Mumbai Police has issued a warning we will take the necessary course of action and take all steps to make sure our students are safe. We have councellors in place in case any student wants to seek help.”
Speaking on the effects of such suicidal games on teenagers, psychiatrist Dr. Noorani Raza said that these challenges are mostly accepted by people with narcissistic tendencies. “Teenagers who have a false sense of self-esteem and narcissistic tendencies tend to accept this challenge. They want to prove themselves to the world, and feel a sense of gratification after completing each task set for them. It is a sort of addiction,” he said.
Dr. Milan Balakrishnan, another psychiatrist, said, “Parents usually don’t know about these challenges. They need to start paying more attention to their child’s social media activity. But that doesn’t mean being nosy. Try to create an environment where your children are comfortable with sharing their feelings and feels safe talking to you. Don’t brush their worries aside.”
Dr. Balakrishnan said that these challenges target people with weak mental health. “If someone starts becoming reclusive, self-involved, easily irritable or aggressive, these can be signs that something is wrong. Lashing out, inability to word emotions, talking or posting about things related to death, romanticising it and being withdrawn are all signs. People tend to brush it off, but these are tell-tale signs of being suicidal,” he added.