Today, public school districts across the United States have issued alerts to students and parents regarding alleged threats of shootings and bombings being shared on the social media platform TikTok. This arose as part of a new TikTok “challenge,” where unidentified users have been posting generic violence threats aimed at public schools in various states. Different school districts have responded diversely to the situation; for instance, schools in Montana and New York have increased police presence in the vicinity, while schools in California and Texas have chosen to shut down for the day.
“We are informing you to keep you updated and not to cause alarm,” stated school administrators in Oak Park and River Forest, Illinois, in a message to parents. “We have been informed of a TikTok trend circulating nationwide about ‘school shooting and bomb threats for every school in the USA even elementary’ on Friday, December 17.”
The exact source of these threats or the origin of the “challenge” is not clear. Due to the generic nature of the threats, law enforcement authorities do not see them as credible. Nevertheless, they are treating the investigation with seriousness.
School districts increase security due to TikTok videos warning of school shootings and bomb threats despite assurances the posts aren’t deemed credible https://t.co/MR80Vd3kdu
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 17, 2021
In a statement to CBS, an FBI representative mentioned that the bureau “takes all potential threats seriously. We regularly collaborate with our law enforcement partners to assess the validity of any threats. We remind the public to report any suspicious activities to law enforcement immediately.”
TikTok has committed to assisting in the investigation as required. The platform stated, “We handle even rumored threats with the utmost seriousness, which is why we are cooperating with law enforcement to investigate warnings of potential violence at schools even though we have not identified any evidence of such threats originating or spreading through TikTok.”
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