'The new Momo Challenge': Girls go missing as part of scary 48-Hour Challenge
Parents are being urged to talk to their children about this social media 'game'
As parents struggle to come to terms with the Momo Challenge - which is currently sweeping the globe - there are fresh reports of a new and scary social media challenge aimed at vulnerable children.
This new 48-Hour Challenge encourages children to fake their own disappearance and stay away from social media for 48 hours in exchange for social media fame.
A bizarre points system means the missing kids are rewarded for every online mention they get while they’re missing over the two days.
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Two teenage girls in the US were lucky to be found after joining in with harrowing internet game just to get social media fame.
Mary Tran Le, 13 and Tianny Granja, 12, were last seen walking to their local bus stop at 7:30am on Tuesday, but the two never made it to Owen Middle School in Michigan, USA.
After the school alerted their parents that they hadn't turned up and were classed as missing, the worried families called both girls, but they failed to answer their mobiles.
"That’s when I knew something was wrong," Tianny's mother, Dayanna Gomez told The Daily Beast.
Immediately the mum guessed the missing teens might be taking part in the 48-Hour Challenge – because she had overheard her daughter talking about going 'fake missing' for social media attention the week before.
"They were talking about the challenge the other day," Dayanna Gomez explained."I just want to find my daughter, and I hope she is just hiding and not in danger."
Police then reported that an anonymous woman spotted Mary and Tianny walking around on Thursday evening. She had recognised the missing teens from the national news coverage of their disappearance.
She convinced them to get in her car and told them to tell her where they lived, and dropped them back home to their parents.
A spokesperson for the Rock Hill Police Department is urging parents to have a serious conversation with their kids about these types of viral challenges which have shot to fame since the Momo Challenge scared parents last week.
"Police take missing children cases very seriously, and we always immediately send out a ton of resources because we know that every second counts," the spokesperson said.
"This challenge is extremely dangerous because it takes away resources for another person in need."
This isn't the first time a teenager has made news headlines all over the world for going 'fake missing'. In January, a teenager called Dianna Clawson from South Carolina was missing for 24 hours. The teen was soon discovered – unharmed— hiding under her bed surrounded by shoes.
Today - in a bid to put a stop to the Momo Challenge - the creator of the scary bird-like doll announced that, 'Momo is dead' after he destroyed the freak puppet that has been apparently hacking on-line children's videos on social media sites like YouTube, like Peppa Pig.
Parents report that Momo urges children to self-harm and the Momo Challenge has been linked to suicide.
Speaking from his factory in Japan for the first time, 43-year-old Keisuke Aiso announced that Momo has gone for good.
'It doesn't exist anymore, it was never meant to last. It was rotten and I threw it away.
'The children can be reassured Momo is dead - she doesn't exist and the curse is gone,'Keisuke told The Sun.
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