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Mom warns other parents about dangerous online game

Posted at 11:11 PM, Sep 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-10 09:30:32-04

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A Colorado Springs mom is taking to social media to warn others after she says her daughter could’ve fallen prey to a dangerous online game.

Like any mother, Danielle Williamson does her best to protect her daughter.

Danielle Williamson and her 8-year-old daughter Luna.
Danielle Williamson and her 8-year-old daughter Luna.

So when she found out social media accounts featuring a creepy-looking girl named “Momo” were encouraging kids online to physically harm and even commit suicide – part of a sinister game called “Momo Challenge” –
she was alarmed.

“That little girl’s face freaked me out and I started reading that article and when I got to the end of it, you know, it said that they were posting it online,” Williamson said.

The scary trend is catching the attention of law enforcement agencies across the world.

A police department in India, posting a Twitter video on the “Momo Challenge” cautioning people against responding to any unidentified messages on social media.

Also, a tweet from another police department in Mexico:

And even St. Johns County Sheriff’s office in Florida, warning parents while they may not know “Momo,” their kids might.

HEY PARENTS – DO YOU KNOW MOMO? YOUR KIDS MIGHT.There is a new so-called “game” going around social media sites…

Posted by St. Johns County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, August 8, 2018

And that was Williamson’s worry, so she asked 8-year-old Luna if she recognized the picture.

“I felt bad really bad because I showed it to her and she covered her eyes almost automatically and I was like Luna, I know it’s scary, I don’t like it. But I need you to look at this picture,” Williamson said of the moment she approached Luna.

Even though Luna didn’t recognize it at first, she remembered she’d seen it on YouTube before.

“I clicked on the video then it showed the picture. I thought it was terrifying because – what about the eyes?” Luna said of the frightening image.
“They are, like, popping out!”

“She said that she had seen that girl’s face,” Williamson said.
“And that she knew her name and she said that her name was ‘Momo’ and I was like, ‘Oh dear God.'”

Thankfully, Luna didn’t fall prey to the dangerous game.

“[The game] makes me upset because one, you know, I don’t want my daughter to ever think that that kind of stuff is ok to do,” Williamson explained.

And after learning how serious the consequences can be, Luna is steering clear.

“I don’t want anybody to do that anymore since now I know,” she said.

Williamson hopes her post will serve as a warning to parents to keep a closer eye on their children and who they interact with online.

“I can hope we stay aware and keep our babies safe.”

News 5 reached out to El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, neither had caught wind of this trend yet.

As of right now, there aren’t any reports of kids falling victim to this within the U.S.