State Troopers say they have received numerous reports of people concerned about the online “Momo challenge,” but so far they’ve seen no clear threat from the online phenomenon.

The Pennsylvania State Police put out a community awareness bulletin on Friday in regard to “‘The Momo Challenge’ and YouTube videos”.

The Momo challenge, according to Wikipedia is a “hoax and urban legend about a nonexistent social media challenge … it was reported that children and adolescents were being enticed by a user named Momo to perform a series of dangerous tasks including violent attacks and suicide.”

According to the bulletin, while there have been numerous reports of encounters with “Momo” in the press and on social media, state police have found no evidence that such a challenge exists, and no verified reports of children harming themselves or anyone else while participating in the challenge.

“It seems likely that the Momo Challenges is less of a threat and more of a phenomenon that has simply taken on a life of its own,” the alert reads.

State police said that while they do not believe the challenge to be a threat, images of Momo and other inappropriate content for children have been seen in videos on YouTube Kids, a platform which is designed to be safe for children.

State police said that online challenges are becoming more popular and while some have promoted worthwhile charities or raised money about ALS, there are some that can involve serious risks.

Children and teenagers are often the most likely people to take part in the challenges in order to seek the approval of friends and internet users, state police said.

Troopers offered several tips for keeping children safe online.

Use parental controls to minimize the risk of children’s access to inappropriate content.

Bookmark favorite sites for your children so they can find them easily and directly.

Start a conversation about appropriate online behavior, including what to do if you find content that is frightening or makes them uncomfortable. Make sure they know who they can talk to if they encounter a situation they do not know how to handle.

Ensure that your children know they should not share personal information of any kind with anyone.

Make sure that your children know how to prevent the spread of malware, including not clicking on random links or downloading unfamiliar attachments.

The full community awareness bulletin is available at https://www.psp.pa.gov/public-safety/Documents/CAB_03-2019.pdf.