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The government has issued an advisory to tackle a new online game called ‘Momo Challenge’, pushing teenagers and children towards suicide, similar to the infamous Blue Whale game.
According to a report by The Times of India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have issued an advisory after reports of youngsters committing suicide because of the online game.
Said to have started on social networking site Facebook, the Momo Challenge quickly spread to other social networking platforms.
The ministry advisory states: “It is reported in the media that there is a new online challenge game called ‘The Momo Challenge’ which started on Facebook where members are ‘challenged’ to communicate with unknown numbers. It went viral on social media platforms, especially WhatsApp.”
The Ministry has asked parents to check with their children about issues that could cause stress and monitor their social media activities, to make sure that the children are not participating in such games.
The government has also asked to check for signs and symptoms of the dangerous game that include withdrawal from family and friends, unhappiness and consistent low mood, constant worrying and failure to perform daily tasks.
Other symptoms include sudden bouts of anger and development of visible marks on the body such as deep cuts or wounds.
It has also been advised that parents should avoid having any kind of discussion about the game with their child who is still unaware of the game, as “by doing so, you increase the chance that your child will search for it on their own.”
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