It’s called the 48-hour challenge.
Facebook is currently investigating a challenge which they believe could be taking place on their social media site among teenagers and children.
It is called the 48-hour challenge and it is where children apparently pretend to go missing and the aim of the game is to earn as many ‘points’ as possible.
Points are earned by getting your name mentioned in Facebook posts or receiving likes for messages you are featured in after disappearing.
Participants have 48 hours to get the highest score before they have to come forward and tell everyone that they are safe.
Although there have been no concrete confirmed reports by Facebook, it is an issue that they are looking into in order to make sure that they are able to act swiftly if needed.
According to Metro, a spokesperson for the social media site said: “The safety of young people on Facebook is a responsibility we take extremely seriously and we are awaiting the links to investigate these reports to ensure we are able to take swift action if it is needed.
“We encourage people to use the reporting tools available on every page on Facebook if they see content that concerns them, so we can investigate and take action.”
One mother told Belfast Live about the “sick competition” that left her family with “unbearable anxiety” after her child went missing for almost a day and a half.
“I was terrified they were dead or would be raped, trafficked or killed. But these kids just think it’s funny. There was not even a moment of remorse when my child was taken into police custody and when the police brought my child home, I could see posts of selfies from the police car.
“I’ve been told my child and friends are in the lead in this competition because they managed to vanish for 55 hours before they were discovered.
“It was just terrifying and my child, who is 14, doesn’t seem to get it. They need a wake up call but I’m worried what that would be.”
The challenge has been linked to a game that took place in Western countries in 2015 called Game of 72, where children disappeared for 72 hours.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Conor Sketches | Tiger Woods loves Ger Loughnane and cosplaying as Charles LeClerc
