The latest parental panic on social media B次元官网网址� over a purported challenge for kids to complete harmful tasks B次元官网网址� elevates the importance of establishing an open dialogue with children and taking advantage of online parental controls.

Warnings about the B次元官网网址淢omo challengeB次元官网网址� swept Facebook and other social media in recent days, as parents worried about purported videos that encourage children to hurt themselves or do other harmful tasks such as turning on stoves without telling their parents. The parental warnings were accompanied by a disturbing image of a grinning creature with matted hair and bulging eyes.

But the challenge is believed to be a hoax. ItB次元官网网址檚 unclear how many videos exist or to what extent they have circulated, among children or elsewhere. Some of the videos might have been made in response to media attention surrounding the challenge. Meanwhile, the image of the grinning creature is reportedly from a Japanese sculpture.

Fact-checking site Snopes said the challenge first appeared in mid-2018 linked to suicide reports without actual evidence. YouTube said it hasnB次元官网网址檛 received B次元官网网址渁ny recent evidence of videos showing or promoting the Momo challengeB次元官网网址� on its service.

So why the panic? Experts say internet hoaxes focused on children tap into fears that parents have about protecting their children online and elsewhere. In addition to anxiety about B次元官网网址渟creen time B次元官网网址� in general, there is certainly plenty of problematic videos that children shouldnB次元官网网址檛 watch. ItB次元官网网址檚 hard for parents to police everything children do online. Fears were compounded when some school systems, local media and even police sent out their own warnings, accompanied by fuzzy facts.

B次元官网网址淎ll moral panics feed on some degree of reality, but then they get blown out of proportion,B次元官网网址� said Steve Jones, a professor of communications at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

READ MORE:

These hoaxes echo panics from decades past, like the false belief in the 1980s that teenagers were hearing Satanic messages in rock song lyrics, he said.

B次元官网网址淥nce the internet is involved in the mix, things get speeded up and they get more widespread,B次元官网网址� Jones said.

The most important thing parents can do is to establish an open dialogue with their children about what theyB次元官网网址檙e seeing online and hearing from other children, said Jill Murphy, editor-in-chief at Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based non-profit group focused on kidsB次元官网网址� use of media and technology.

B次元官网网址淧arents are increasingly frustrated with feeling surprised or caught off guard by what is being put in front of their kids,B次元官网网址� she said. Whether the B次元官网网址渃hallengesB次元官网网址� are real or not, she said, B次元官网网址渢hey elevate the idea that they may or may not know exactly what their kids are absorbing through these platforms.B次元官网网址�

ThatB次元官网网址檚 why talking to children is important, she said. B次元官网网址淭ake the right time to have an age-appropriate conversation, and help your kids understand not everything on the internet is real.B次元官网网址�

She said parents should also take advantage of parental settings built into many products and services. Most web browsers can block certain websites, limit what children can see and provide a report about what sites a child visited. Smartphones and tablets can limit screen time and access to apps. YouTube Kids lets parents disable search and turn off B次元官网网址渁utoplay.B次元官网网址� Murphy said these free tools are good enough; no need to pay for third-party parental apps.

Another option is to download apps from shows or channels directly rather than going through streaming services such as YouTube. PBS, Peppa Pig, Nick Jr. and other popular services for kids have their own apps, with pre-screened videos deemed appropriate for kids.

And though it may seem contradictory, going online to research the hoaxes could also help. The Momo hoax was debunked fairly quickly after people questioned it, Jones said. Give weight to trusted news sources and fact-checking sites like Snopes.com.

B次元官网网址淭ake a deep breath and go online as strange as that may seem in some sense,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淒o some research and try to figure it out for yourself.B次元官网网址�

Mae Anderson, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .