Most people know what internet challenges are. They are usually pointless, stupid and idiotic. They have resulted in temporary discomfort or just entertainment, but they could now be causing death.

In recent news, people have been talking about the challenge that leads to suicide called the “Momo Challenge.” Momo can be found on social media apps such as Facebook, Youtube and Whatsapp. When you interact with the account you will start to receive pictures of the horrifying picture of a sculpture made by a Japanese artist called “Mother Bird,” which is used as the “mascot” of the person or people behind the accounts. After the pictures, the account starts to tell you that they know personal information about you and your family. You then will receive tasks to complete. They consist of odd things such as waking up at weird hours of the night all the way up to serious matters such as posting videos of yourself self-harming. If the task is not complete it is reported that the person posing as Momo will come and find you and kill you and your family.

Also in popularity is the 48-Hour Challenge. This is where people will purposely go missing from friends, family, schools, homes and even towns for 48 hours for the simple idiotic purpose of internet fame. There have been reports of teenagers going missing after the challenge came into popularity. There is a 14-year-old girl who was reported missing but it is not known if she is participating in the challenge. Police are encouraging teens not to participate in these challenges. Though the biggest question is, are these challenges even real?

I feel that the challenges are real. Teens should take this challenge more seriously. Sexual predators have been reported to play a part in the 48-Hour Challenge to attract teens to go to certain locations while they are “pretending” to go missing. It then becomes a serious matter when they are in an actual life-or-death situation.

Yet the Momo challenge has no visual evidence to back up it up. The reality is that this could be happening without anyone knowing. There are reports about the Momo challenge that subliminal messages are appearing in youtube videos for children such as cartoons and educational videos. It tells kids to do dangerous things and threatens them so they don’t tell parents or authorities.  But all of these are by word of mouth without visual proof.

Cyberbullies are real and can affect everyone. If Momo is just a cyberbully and not actually a person who is out to murder families it is still a serious matter. With technology today smartphones, computers, Apple watches, etc. it is extremely important to avoid people who have a bad influence. The internet is used as a wall for people so they don’t have to fight their battles in person because nothing will happen usually. The bullies can lead to their victim suffering from mental issues such as anxiety and depression and even worse committing suicide.

I advise anyone who feels it is “cool” to participate in the challenges that you should think again. Since there is no evidence we can’t be for certain what will happen. I would hate to see someone I know die because of stupidity. Do not participate in these challenges.