Tiffin City Schools releases statement about fake ‘Momo challenge’

TIFFIN, OH — Tiffin City Schools released a statement last week regarding the fake “Momo challenge” that has gone viral online.

The statement reads as follows:

Dear Parents/Guardians,
It has come to our attention that many of our students are talking about the “Momo challenge” which supposedly encourages kids to “meet Momo” by following instructions to hurt others or themselves.

As part of the challenge, kids are said to get anonymous threatening messages tied to pictures of the Momo character, a ghoulish­looking girl with a creepy smile and bulging eyes. While different news outlets have called this a hoax, we still want to encourage parents to take precautions to keep your children safe when using the internet and apps.

We advise parents to take the following precautions :
➢ Talk with your child about the “Momo Challenge” and remind them this is not real.
➢ Supervise games that your children are playing.
➢ Ensure that electronic devices are restricted to age­ appropriate content. Check the app description for age restrictions.
➢ Talk to your children about the dangers involved in online activity. Remind your children not to give out personal information online to anyone that they do not know.
➢ Remind children to tell a parent, guardian or another adult if they see or hear anything inappropriate or scary online.
➢ Keep devices in a common area, where you can watch and monitor its use, not in
individual bedrooms.
➢ Be mindful of videos your children are watching on YouTube or YouTube Kids.
➢ Encourage your children to change email and social media passwords frequently and block unknown numbers inviting them to play.