This image — originally a sculpture by a Japanese artist — is now known widely as Momo and has been spliced into children-themed videos. It is associated with the 'Momo Challenge' which reportedly encourages young people to engage in dangerous behavior and not tell anyone.

A form of anonymous cyberbullying found its way into videos watched by Warren County School District students recently. The Momo Challenge reportedly encourages watchers to engage in risky, sometimes self-injurious behaviors and not tell anyone.

There are ways to seek out Momo — represented by a disturbing female character — but the ‘challenge’ can also come up spliced into otherwise innocuous videos geared to children, through social media accounts and phone numbers.

The challenge reportedly expresses itself as a game.

Some of the things the game challenges the viewer to do are relatively harmless. Others are very serious. One of the reported challenges is to commit suicide. There are also reportedly internal threats against talking about the game.

The challenge has been blamed for suicides in a few countries, but the degree of connections have not been well-established, according to reporting on those incidents. Some online sites state the challenge is more of a viral phenomenon than a dangerous one.

Whether the connection to those suicides is real or not, it targets children and encourages dangerous behaviors.

“The district technology department received phone calls from several principals today alerting us that students were experiencing episodes of inappropriate content coming up on district devices while engaged in online content,” Director of Administrative Support Services Gary Weber said. “The inappropriate content is known as the Momo Challenge which has been a global concern for young children.”

“The video comes up within other content, making it very difficult to address without blocking appropriate content used within the classroom,” Weber said. “The District wants to assure parents that it is reviewing the situation and working to ensure that students have a safe educational experience online.”

“The City of Warren Police Department is aware of the online bullying and social media challenge referred to as the ‘Momo Challenge’,” Community Service Officer Sgt. Jeff Dougherty said. “As with all social media and internet access, we encourage parents to monitor their child’s involvement and stay proactive in making sure the material their children are viewing is safe and structured.”

“The most vulnerable are the kids that want to fit in, have low self-esteem, and have a history of suicidal ideation or attempts,” Kari Swanson said. “The biggest thing is monitoring what kids are on.”

Swanson is the founder of CORE — Choosing Openness Regarding Experiences — which is a non-profit organization with the mission to provide mental health awareness and suicide prevention education to Warren County.

An email from Beaty-Warren Middle School Principal Shannon Yeager indicated that students had reported issues about Momo to the guidance office.

Reporting the challenge is an appropriate response, according to the Wednesday email, and “our counselors will be available to talk with any student who feels upset or concerned about this issue,” he said.

The district also took the step to block YouTube access at school, according to Yeager.

“In an event that inappropriate material is being or has been viewed, parents should immediately remove the site from any device the child has access to; this includes Youtube, Facebook, Snap Chat, Twitter, etc,” Dougherty said. “We are aware of and adamantly support the Warren County School District and their proactive approach to remove any possible access students could have with the ‘Momo Challenge’.”

Parents are encouraged to discuss the issue with their children.

“Parents need to stop letting fear paralyze them from being real with their kids,” Swanson said. “Talk to them about what is happening and that they need to notify them if they see these things and also encourage kids to report if other kids are engaging in the ‘game.'”

“We encourage parents to read and understand what the Momo Challenge is and to speak with their children,” Dougherty said. “We also encourage parents to speak with their children about the dangers of social media and discourage parents from allowing children to have social media until a mature, appropriate age.”