By PHILENIA WALKINGSTICK
ONE FEATHER STAFF
Do we create the panic and danger of which we are afraid? Recently, there has been a rise in concerned parents posting about the latest viral scare. The MOMO challenge video is one of them. Supposedly, the video challenges the viewer to harm themselves to prevent a curse. While there is no credible proof that this hoax is true, it has spread like wildfire. Frightened parents are reposting and retweeting this video warning over and over trying to let other parents know to be aware of what their children are watching on the internet. But, the more they are “warning” others, the more they are spreading the panic.
Some of these challenges may not even have crossed the child’s path were it not for the parents discussing it with the children. When the parents resend or share the picture or video, they are creating the curiosity for the children to go out and look up these things on the Internet. It is in a child’s nature to be curious or even to rebel when they are told not to look at something. This is just one of the challenges out there that seem to pop up or sometimes resurface in social media. The 48-hour challenge, where a child goes missing on purpose to get likes or the Tide pod challenge when teens are dared to film themselves eating Tide pods are just a few that seem to have been blown out of proportion. There is very little substantiated proof that children and teens are falling for these challenges.
News stations and other media are reporting on these trends and creating the mainstream panic that helps them continue to grow. The bottom line is that parents should be very aware of what their children are doing on social media but also don’t believe everything you hear. Do some research before you fan the flames.
