Inside Edition spoke to an expert who advised parents to speak to their kids, just in case.
The "Momo Challenge": Is it a dangerous social media game encouraging kids to take their lives or a recurring viral hoax?
The bug-eyed girl known as Momo has been popping up on social media in recent days after multiple police departments posted warnings about the challenge, which apparently urges kids to kill themselves.
The challenge is not new, having surfaced multiple times last year, including in a report of a girl who allegedly took her own life in her family's back yard as a result of the game.
Some parents say the creature has appeared suddenly in the midst of YouTube Kids videos, threatening to kill.
Kim Kardashian West even issued a warning to her followers on her Instagram Story, resharing a couple posts about the dangers of the challenge.
“Parents please be aware and very cautious of what your child watches on YouTube and KIDS YOUTUBE," read one of the posts Kardashian West shared. "There is a thing called ‘Momo’ that’s instructing kids to kill themselves, turn stoves on while everyone is sleep and even threatening to kill the children if they tell their parents.”
But is it all a hoax? YouTube said it found no sign of Momo popping up on its platform recently.
"Contrary to press reports, we’ve not received any recent evidence of videos showing or promoting the 'Momo Challenge' on YouTube," a company spokesperson said in a statement. "Content of this kind would be in violation of our policies and removed immediately."
Inside Edition spoke to cybersecurity expert Parry Aftab, who advised parents it's better to be safe than sorry.
"Teach your kids to talk to you, come to you when things go wrong and not believe everything they see on the internet," she said.
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