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Parents and teachers are being warned about an online video aimed at children which depicts a toy singing about “hugging and killing”.
Guernsey Law Enforcement said it supports national warnings issued about the YouTube and TikTok videos.
The animated character with razor-sharp teeth, called Huggy Wuggy, first appeared as a villain in a horror video game called Poppy Playtime.
Pictured: The Huggy Wuggy toy-like character.
The recent video edits of the character are slipping through online firewalls, with some versions showing the popular children’s TV character Peppa Pig.
Guernsey Police said it supports UK Police forces having issued warnings to parents. Dorset Police, for example, issued the following statement to parents:
“The blue bear-like character has long arms and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Set in an abandoned factory, Huggy is a villain in the game who stalks the players from vents and unreachable places.
“Videos of the game are available to watch on YouTube, with other clips dedicated to Huggy in songs. One song includes the lyric: “I could hug you here forever, ‘til you breathe your last breath together.”
Pictured: Parents are being warned of online video content that is distressing for children.
Kiera Nicholls, who has five children, said she was aware of the video.
“I think parents should be extremely careful about what their children watch online because it’s not just scary videos,” she said.
"Children can also come across inappropriate videos where they use Barbies or Disney characters and children think the video is innocent but actually it can be extremely inappropriate.”
Mother-of-two Maria Brockett said modern technology “makes it difficult” for parents.
“I am probably more safety-conscious online than some people because I don’t have social media or post photos of my children anywhere online, but I do let them watch cartoons on YouTube,” she said.
“It is scary as a parent to know that there are videos like Huggy Wuggy going around that are being shown to children even if you have all the parental control settings in place, it makes it very difficult to know what your children could potentially have access to.”
Pictured: Mrs Brockett said she ensures parental controls are in place on her children's devices.
Mrs Brockett said she didn’t know what more could be done.
“I think it’s good that police have warned parents about the video, but it doesn’t seem like there’s anything more they can do to stop it because no one knows where these videos are coming from,” she said.
“The only way around it would be to watch everything before my children do and that’s just not practical. My children are seven and four and they’re being taught how to use modern technologies. I worry that they may get left behind their peers if they aren’t using it.
“I don’t want my children to have access to content like this and I’m sure other parents don’t either.”
Pictured: Mrs Brockett said she was worried her children will be "left behind their peers" without learning about technology.
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