The Momo Challenge: measuring the extent to which YouTube portrays harmful and helpful depictions of a suicide game

Abstract

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 < 0.001). We discuss how YouTube has responded to the challenge and which implications arise for practice and theory.