00:00Remember 2018, the internet was buzzing, but not in a good way, parents were terrified, schools were sending out warnings,
00:13and a chilling face was plastered everywhere, a wide eyed grinning figure with stringy black hair and bird like legs.
00:23This was Momo, and the story was that she was a digital monster, appearing on WhatsApp and YouTube kids, forcing
00:32children into a dangerous game.
00:35The Momo challenge was supposedly a series of escalating tasks, starting innocently enough, but quickly spiraling into acts of self
00:46-harm.
00:46With the final challenge being the unthinkable, the media went into a frenzy.
00:53Headlines screamed about a global suicide game targeting the most vulnerable.
00:59It was the perfect storm of parental fear, social media virality, and a genuinely creepy image.
01:08The panic was real, and it was global.
01:11But what if I told you the entire thing was a lie?
01:15The legend of the Momo challenge was simple and terrifying.
01:20A mysterious account using the now infamous avatar would contact you or your child.
01:28At first, it might just be a message, a hello.
01:33But then, the threats would begin.
01:37Momo claimed to know personal details.
01:41Things no stranger should know.
01:43Shidi threatened to release private information or harm the user S family if they did uncomply with her demands.
01:54What were these demands?
01:56A series of 50 tasks, each more dangerous than the last.
02:01These challenges were said to include watching horror movies at odd hours, waking up in the middle of the night,
02:10and eventually, acts of self-mutilation.
02:13The ultimate task, the final step in this horrifying game, was supposedly suicide.
02:21It was a modern-day boogeyman, perfectly tailored for the digital age.
02:26A story that preyed on our deepest fears about online safety and the unknown dangers lurking behind our screens.
02:35The narrative was so powerful that it felt real to millions of people.
02:41But here's the truth.
02:43The Momo challenge was not real.
02:46It was a viral hoax.
02:49An internet urban legend that got completely out of control.
02:54When police and charity organizations around the world actually investigated the claims, they found nothing.
03:05There was not a single confirmed case of anyone being harmed as a direct result of this so-called challenge.
03:15No police force in any country could link a single death or act of self-harm directly to someone being
03:25coerced by a Momo account.
03:28So where did all the panic come from?
03:31It was fueled by a cycle of fear.
03:34A few initial, unverified posts on Facebook about the challenge were picked up by local news.
03:42Then, those stories were amplified by larger media outlets.
03:48Parents, understandably worried, shared these warnings with other parents.
03:55Schools issued alerts based on media reports, which in turn generated more media reports.
04:03It became a self-perpetuating cycle of misinformation.
04:07The fear was real.
04:10But the threat was a ghost.
04:12A fabrication.
04:14Scammers and pranksters did use the Momo image to scare people.
04:20But there was no organized, widespread challenge causing harm.
04:26The monster wasn't Momo.
04:28It was the viral panic itself.
04:31So, if the challenge was a hoax, where did that unforgettable, nightmare-inducing face come from?
04:41It wasn't a digital creation or a demon from the web.
04:46It was art.
04:47The image is actually of a sculpture called Mother Bird or Ubium in Japanese.
04:54It was created in 2016 by a Japanese special effects company, Link Factory.
05:02And the lead artist was Keisuke Eizo.
05:06The sculpture was inspired by a Japanese folktale about a woman who dies in childbirth and becomes a ghost to
05:15haunt the area.
05:16The artwork was displayed in a gallery in Tokyo and was never intended for anything malicious.
05:22Keisuke Eizo was horrified when he learned that his creation had become the face of a global panic.
05:30He felt responsible, even though he had nothing to do with the hoax.
05:35He said the sculpture was actually decaying and he had thrown it away.
05:41In a way, he wanted to kill the curse.
05:44The artist, like the rest of us, was just an unwilling participant in a viral story that took on a
05:53life of its own.
05:54It's a stark reminder that behind every viral image, there's a context, a story, and often, a real person who
06:05had no idea what was coming.
06:07So, what can we learn from the great Momo Panic of 2018?
06:14It's a classic case study in how misinformation spreads in the digital age.
06:20It shows how easily fear can be weaponized and amplified through social media and news cycles.
06:28The Momo Challenge wasn't a threat to our kids' physical safety.
06:34It was a threat born from our own anxieties about the online world they inhabit.
06:41The real takeaway here is the critical importance of digital literacy.
06:47We need to teach ourselves and our children not to believe everything we see online.
06:54We need to learn how to check sources, to question sensationalist headlines, and to understand the difference between a real
07:04threat and a moral panic.
07:06Before sharing that scary warning on Facebook or WhatsApp, take a breath, do a quick search, see what reliable sources,
07:17like fact-checking sites or law enforcement agencies, are saying.
07:22The internet isn't inherently evil, but it is a powerful tool that can be used for both good and ill.
07:31By being more critical, more thoughtful, and a little less quick to hit share, we can protect ourselves and our
07:40communities from the next moment, whatever form it may take.
07:45Let's make the internet a safer, smarter place.
07:49One critical thought at a time.
07:52Thanks for watching.
07:54If you found this interesting, consider subscribing for more deep dives into the stories that shape our digital world.
08:04See you next time.
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