Spring-Ford Issues Warning Over 'Momo Challenge'

ROYERSFORD, PA — The Spring-Ford Area School District issued a warning to parents on social media Thursday morning regarding the bizarre "Momo Challenge" that has circulated news reports and the Internet in recent weeks.

The game, which is being investigated in connection to deaths in September in Argentina, Colombia, and India, features an unsettling avatar ordering school-aged children to perform various tasks and provide photographs as proof.

The "Momo" allegedly threatens those who do not comply with the tasks. The tasks start small, and include orders like "facing a fear," but the final task orders individuals to kill themselves, according to the warning issued by Spring-Ford.

If children do not complete the tasks, Momo threatens the release of private and compromising information. It's remarkably similar to an episode in the third season of Netflix's dystopic "Black Mirror" (episode 3, "Shut Up and Dance").

Momo is typically accessed via WhatsApp or Facebook. Though instances of suicide tied to the game have not been proven, that hasn't mollified school districts around the country, as school officials have warned parents to take another look at their child's social media presence.

>>What Is The Momo Challenge? 5 Things To Know

Spring-Ford's warning, taken from the parenting community SmartSocial, urges parents to go over basic points, such as talking to their children about the game, discussing cyberbullying, and teaching children to never communicate with strangers on social media. More from that warning and the accompanying guide can be found here.

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