Dear Reading Public School Families,

Over the last few weeks, there have been many news stories circulating on the “Momo Challenge.” The purpose of this letter is to provide information, and to encourage you to monitor your children’s use of social media and the internet.

In the Momo Challenge, an image of a woman with distorted features allegedly instructs viewers to commit acts of violence against others and ultimately, acts of self-harm under threat of a “curse” or that Momo will injure them. The challenge apparently started in Latin America in 2018 and spread to the United States via Facebook, but it has never been established who is behind it or what his or her intent was. In February 2019, new warnings about the challenge made the rounds through social media.  The “Momo Challenge” is a hoax.

We recommend the following tips to keep your children safe online and to talk to your children about this challenge in a way that you feel is appropriate for their understanding.

• Use the parental controls available through your Internet service provider, device, and apps to minimize the risk of your children’s access to inappropriate content. Parental controls and filtering software are not perfect, so your presence while your children are using the Internet is still necessary.
• Bookmark favorite sites so your children can find them easily and directly.
• Start a conversation around appropriate online behavior, including what to do if your children find content that is frightening or that makes them feel uncomfortable. Make sure they know who they can talk to if they encounter a situation they do not know how to handle.
• Ensure your children know not to share personal information of any kind with anyone. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) restricts what a commercial website can collect and requires a parent’s consent, but that does not mean that an individual cannot ask personal questions.
• Make sure your children (and you) know that clicking on random links or downloading unfamiliar or unexpected attachments is how malware is spread.

The Reading Public Schools takes internet safety very seriously and puts digital safety practices in place to help students stay safe while using the district’s network and internet.

There are several links below that explain the “Momo Challenge” in more detail.  Please be advised that some of the stories and images may be disturbing.

• A video from the Today Show, ‘Momo challenge’: How to protect kids from disturbing internet game
• A WCVB article on The Momo problem: When unconfirmed stories about scary ‘challenges’ go viral, create panic
• An Article from the Atlantic on Momo is not trying to kill Children.
• A CBS News Video on The Momo Challenge nearly deadly for Children, California Mother says.

We encourage your children to speak with a trusted adult should they have any concerns.  If you have any questions, please contact your child’s building principal, who can provide further information and support.

Sincerely,

John Doherty

Superintendent of Schools