Parents around the world are being extremely cautious of their children’s safety of social media and here’s why.

For a long now, urban legends have been a thing for many (young and old). Some may be scarier than others. Some are more extreme than others. When an urban legend or hoax starts to affect adolescents, it seems to become more terrifying.

Some you may be asking, “what is the Momo Challenge?” This so-called Momo Challenge is a challenge that has swept through social media in many different ways, mainly through children’s videos. In ‘Youtube Kids’ videos such as ‘Paw Patrol’ and ‘Peppa Pig’, a distorted, demonic, bird-like woman referred to as “Momo” gives children simple tasks that can escalated quickly. These videos encourage children to hurt themselves in many different ways and also other harmful tasks, like turning on the kitchen stove without telling their parents. Other children have been encouraged to commit violent attacks onto others and attempt suicide.

A five year old by the name of Giovanni Pedroza in New Mexico called the local police station telling them Momo made him do it. He stated “I just closed my eyes and my eyes were thinking the Momo Challenge was right there.” Officers arrive to the seen with a flashlight and teddy bear to protect him from the terrifying Momo character.

Warnings to parents have been sweeping through social media outlets including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.