The government on Wednesday issued an advisory against ‘Momo Challenge’ – an online game which is reportedly pushing teenagers to commit suicide.
The Ministry of Electronics & IT issued a statement, warning parents to safeguard their wards from the Momo Challenge, which is designed akin to the fatal Blue Whale game. The latter, developed by a Russian gamer, claimed over dozen lives in India last year.
“It is reported in the media that there is a new online challenge game called ‘The Momo Challenge which started on Facebook where members are ‘challenged’ to communicate with unknown numbers. It went viral on social media platforms especially WhatsApp,” the advisory was quoted as saying.
Also Read : Buddhist monk arrested in Bodh Gaya for sexually abusing 15 boys
The Ministry has further recommended the parents to remain constantly in touch with their children if they appear “persistently distressed”. The social media feed of the children should also be monitored, the statement added.
Notably, the government advisory comes in the backdrop of West Bengal CID dismissing reports of suicide in the state due to Momo Challenge. “We have not received any single report of anybody getting a message that has taken him to a page on the internet to play the game. And there was no complaint from family members of those who have committed suicide saying that they have died playing the game,” DIG (CID-operations) Nishat Parvez said.
Post Your Comments