It was reported that children and adolescents were being harassed by a user named Momo to perform a series of dangerous tasks including violent attacks, self-harm, harming others, and suicide.
Despite claims that the phenomenon had reached worldwide proportions in July 2018, the number of actual complaints was relatively small and many law enforcement agencies have not been able to confirm that anyone was harmed as a direct result of it.
[5] Public warnings were issued in August and September by police forces in countries including Argentina,[3][4][6] Germany,[7] Luxembourg,[8] Spain,[9] Canada,[10][11][12] Mexico[3][13] and the United States.
[28][29][30] More advisories were issued from police forces, schools and organizations dedicated to internet consumer safety,[39][27][40] although some of the warnings were more concerned with identity theft by cybercriminals than the possibility of self-harm.
[30][9] By March, several experts including the Children's Commissioner for England were asking the media and authorities to cease amplifying what increasingly looked like a case of moral panic.
[45] Web security experts and folklorists studying urban legends have stated that the phenomenon is likely a case of moral panic: a sensationalized hoax fuelled by unverified media reports.
[46][47][48][49][50][51] Benjamin Radford stated that "the Blue Whale Game and the Momo Challenge have all the hallmarks of a classic moral panic",[52] "fuelled by parents' fears in wanting to know what their kids are up to.
"[28][53] The founder of fact-checking site Snopes, David Mikkelson, doubts anybody actually came to any harm and said the whole thing "may primarily be a product of bullies and pranksters latching onto a handy mechanism to goad and torment vulnerable youngsters rather than an intrinsic part of a particular social media challenge.
Its lidless eyes protrude outwards, creating a haunting effect, much similar to a potoo, while its mouth is unnaturally wide, with a forming a grin adding to its eerie demeanor.
[57][58][59] In July 2019, Orion Pictures said it was developing a film adaptation, with producers Roy Lee (with his production company Vertigo Entertainment) and Taka Ichise.