March 1, 2019
Dear Families,
You may be aware of reported dangers associated with Momo Challenge. While it is unclear if it is real, the internet can be a dangerous and confusing place. While often hoaxes and memes are harmless, they aren’t always.
We are sharing this to make you aware and to encourage parents and other adults who provide direct supervision of children to have honest conversations with children about safe and appropriate online activity.
Here are some helpful tips to keep your child safe online:
- Asking children directly about the Momo Challenge (or other reported threat) may lead children to investigate it themselves and/or cause unnecessary worry. Instead, consider asking them whether they encountered anything online that caused them to be worried or upset.
- If your child is aware of a trend, remind them that it is not a real person, cannot directly harm them, and cannot tell them to do anything.
- Remind children never to contact strangers online, regardless of the method, and to never give out personal information.
- Tighten device settings and parental controls.
- Report and block any content that is harmful or disturbing.
- Supervise your child's online activity, limit video games and YouTube use to shared family spaces and keep an eye out for unknown phone numbers or email addresses.
Thank you for your time and vigilance in keeping our students safe, on and off the internet.
Sincerely,
Sidney Central School District