The Kamloops-Thompson School District is warning parents about a creepy online trend aimed at kids – which has since been debunked as hoax, but still serves as an online safety reminder.

The Momo Challenge involves messages in kid-friendly games appearing that tell kids to contact Momo, a creepy doll that gives directions for self-harm that at times makes threats if directions aren’t followed.

“We’re hoping parents will get to know what their children do online. They need to know how to deal with inappropriate material, and how to protect themselves when they’re interacting with people they don’t know,” School District superintendent Alison Sidow said while speaking on NL Newsday.

“If a child is contacted by someone or is being blackmailed or extorted, they can contact their local RCMP to receive some support. Children should be reminded, ignore messages from people they don;t recognize and also not to meet someone in person who they meet online.”

Sidow says the School District became aware of the online trend on Wednesday by heightened media attention.

“Questions then regarding Momo came forward from our staff throughout the district, and once we became aware that it was a widespread concern we thought we should support parents in addressing this issue.”