Daleks were child’s play in comparison

This letter to The Star is fromCM Langan
MomoMomo
Momo

Beauchief, S8

Well, the chilling 'Momo Challenge' is working its way into our consciousness, especially if you're a child or have children. Lauren Seager Smith's words of warning, (Star, March 4), couldn't have been more timely.

That image of the exceedingly ugly, wide-mouthed, bug-eyed, eyebrowless, pinched-nostrilled being with the greasy, straggly hair is even worse than the one that stares back at me in the mirror first thing in the morning! It is seriously creepy and gives me an almighty case of the heebie-jeebies. And I'm, (debatably), an adult. Imagine what it can do to a child. Apparently, a five-year-old actually hacked off her hair whilst following instructions that were being given by this monstrous character, whom she had followed online. Her mother had to march the child off to the hairdressers so they could do what they could with what was left of her hair. A visit to a child psychologist may well be in order too, I reckon. Poor little mite. The most frightening images impressed upon my psyche at that age were mainly Dr Who's Daleks and the big bad wolf from Red Riding Hood, which were like childsplay in comparison. Did I say childsplay? Well, I should definitely rephrase that, as the word means an entirely different thing these days. Oh to return to the days of innocence!

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Today's parents have certainly got their work cut out. Due to social media, Instagram, apps and all the other technological offerings, it's a major challenge protecting your child from anything seriously traumatising. What will the next craze be? It doesn't bear thinking about. The internet may be a wonderful invention, opening up doors and providing information at your fingertips, but it's also the best example of a double-edged sword that I can possibly think of. Especially when children are at the sharp end. They are our future and the last thing we need is to be rearing a generation of nervous, freaked-out wrecks.