The Momo Challenge caused a worldwide panic in 2018, spreading through WhatsApp and YouTube, making parents fear for the lives of their children. It was eventually dismissed as a hoax, with YouTube initially saying they saw no evidence of videos promoting it on the social media site. But the existence of the videos and the dangers they presented particularly to children were undeniable. These are the highlights of my conversation with researchers Antonia Markiewitz and Lara Kobilke who in one of their many studies looked into the effects of the Momo Challenge and other suicide-related content on YouTube.
The full episode is available to the public on Patreon.
This episode’s companion photos: instagram.com/p/CMR8ssqrrGo
References:
- https://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/resource_media.pdf
- https://reportingonsuicide.org/wp-content/themes/ros2015/assets/images/Recommendations-eng.pdf
Music:
SCP-x5x (Outer Thoughts) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/6735-scp-x5x-outer-thoughts-
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Stories After Dark 