School students have been warned after making 'defamatory' content on social media which could lead to expulsion. The TikToks which circulated mocked staff members' weight.
The vile videos on the short form content app named and abused staff at Westcliff High School for Girls over their size.
Parents and guardians of pupils at the Southend school were sent a letter by deputy headteacher Mrs Sandra Caroll earlier this month informing them that staff were aware of nasty videos shared on social media which had been created by pupils. In the letter, the deputy states the content is "defamatory and very personal towards their friends or staff at the school", reports Essex Live.
The letter then states students are at risk of being expelled if they found to be involved in the creation of the horrible posts. Caroll then asked parents and guardians to have an open discussion around the proper use of social media with their children and potentially consider the use of software to restrict what they can access.
She also urged them to monitor their child's access to social media whilst unsupervised. Mrs Carroll said: "As always seems to happen when something trends on social media it starts with fairly good intentions and then becomes more and more derogatory – mainly because the more horrible you can be the more ‘likes’ you will receive.
"Whilst we do have kind, caring and thoughtful students here, there is sometimes a disconnect when it comes to social media.
"There are examples of positive videos and posts that have been shared but I am aware that there are videos or posts on TikTok that have been created by our students, and have been ‘liked’ by our students, that are defamatory and very personal towards their friends or staff at the school.
"We strongly believe this type of harassment is harmful and upsetting for everyone with a number of students and staff being targeted in a detrimental way."
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