‘Momo challenge’ taken up in Cabinet meeting —Panelo

The controversial online "momo challenge" was taken up during the Cabinet meeting presided over by President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, his spokesperson said Tuesday.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Department Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio said in the meeting that whether the momo challenge was a hoax or not, “the department is warning the public of the dangers which can be found in the internet.”

“The DICT, together with the Department of Education (DepEd), is targeting parents to monitor and give guidance to their children on how to use the internet,” the Palace official said.

The department earlier formed a task force, which includes the Philippine National Police, that will look into the recent child suicide linked to the momo challenge.

DICT Assistant Secretary Alan Cabanlong said on February 28 that the nature of the online dare to inflict harm on oneself and others was not very new, as the Blue Whale challenge which originated from Russia also entered the online community a few years back.

The children, while surfing the net, are redirected to a messaging application where the harmful instructions are given. If not followed, the targets receive threats, he added.

YouTube has recently released a statement saying that it has not seen any indication of the "momo challenge" in their platform.

Coordination with Facebook, on the other hand, has also been made by the DICT. — MDM, GMA News