The Momo Challenge
Measuring the extent to which YouTube portrays harmful and helpful depictions of a suicide game
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22229348 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lara Kobilke (0000-0001-6194-4724, University of Zurich, corresponding author), Antonia Markiewitz (0000-0002-1742-0453, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2021-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | SN Social Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2662-9283 • E-ISSN: 2662-9283 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s43545-021-00065-1 |
| OpenAlex | W3145073849 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 55 |
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents (15 to 29 years), who are in a life stage of exceptional vulnerability and susceptibility to depictions of non-suicidal self-injury and suicide. Allegedly, the suicide game Momo Challenge used this vulnerability to demand their players to perform self-harming dares and, ultimately, commit suicide. This study gives insight into the content, engagement rates and community formation of Momo Challenge videos on YouTube. We combine a network analysis ( n = 209) with a manual content analysis of the videos ( n = 105; 50%). Results show that more than two thirds of the videos include some form of harmful depiction. In addition, videos with a higher extent of harmful depictions are more likely to be engaged with, e.g., through likes ( ρ = 0.332, p
Art · Commit · Computer security · Content analysis · Criminology · Depiction · Literature · Sociology · Computer Science · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Mental Health via Writing · Psychology · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
From ranking algorithms to ‘ranking cultures’
Young Adults' Wishful Identification With Television Characters
Fear Appeals and Information Security Behaviors
News Media, Victims and Crime
The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families
Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of Facebook–depression relations
Suicide Prevention Strategies
Role of media reports in completed and prevented suicide
Fast unfolding of communities in large networks
Depression – Medien – Suizid
The Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model
Social Media, E‐Health, and Medical Ethics
Victims, Crime and Society
Social media engagement
Science communication on YouTube
Increases in Depressive Symptoms, Suicide-Related Outcomes, and Suicide Rates Among U.S. Adolescents After 2010 and Links to Increased New Media Screen Time
Assessing the Bias in Communication Networks Sampled from Twitter
“We Don’t Cover Suicide … (Except When We Do Cover Suicide)”
Attentional Interference Effects of Emotional Pictures
Increasing Adherence to Media Guidelines on Responsible Reporting on Suicide
Social Media and Suicide
We report the world as it is, not as we want it to be
The Influence of Suggestion on Suicide
Media Contagion and Suicide Among the Young
Does the media matter to suicide
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |