A national TikTok challenge promoting violence or threats of violence is warned to take place in schools on Friday.
School districts county-wide have been made aware of shared posts on TikTok that refer to safety threats at schools, including elementary schools. The Sweetwater Union High School District sent a letter to parents regarding these posts saying they had been in contact with local law enforcement regarding the post.
“We will continue to coordinate directly with our School Resource officers regarding this trend. Together, we will continue to thoroughly investigate the reported threat information that may have any link to our schools,” a statement from the district read.
TikTok said in a statement it handles “even rumored threats with the utmost seriousness". However, TikTok has said it found no evidence of threats originating on the platform and is working to remove videos discussing the original rumor.
"We've exhaustively searched for content that promotes violence at schools today but have still found nothing. What we find are videos discussing this rumor and warning others to stay safe," TikTok wrote in a statement via Twitter.
Local authorities, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security have confirmed there's no credible threat, according to TikTok, who said they would report the promotion of violence to law enforcement upon discovery.
"Media reports have been widespread and based on rumors rather than facts, and we are deeply concerned that the proliferation of local media reports on an alleged trend that has not been found on the platform could end up inspiring real-world harm," the statement continued.
School districts nationwide are no stranger to social media challenges stemming from TikTok. This fall, students across the United States participated in the ‘devious licks’ trend where they stole or vandalized school property. Concerns arose in the month of October when a challenge to assault school staff members emerged.
“It is essential that we work together to maintain safety on our campuses and minimize the impact of these misguided social media challenges that negatively impact our schools. As a restorative district, we believe in repairing the harm and addressing the problems immediately when an issue arises; however, this does not eliminate the disciplinary actions that may result from the execution of these challenges," the SUHSD wrote in a statement.
