Schools across the United States have taken precautions on Friday, Dec. 17, due to an alleged threat made on TikTok.
But is the threat, which mentions possibilities of school shootings, one that is credible? Here’s what we know.
The anonymous threat and ‘challenge’
The alleged TikTok threat encourages students to bring weapons to school on Dec. 17, prompting concern from administrators and parents. The supposed challenge has been labeled “National Shoot Up Your School Day,” Syracuse.com reported.
Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland said the threat originated in Arizona, but it has been deemed “not credible” by law enforcement agencies. Local and state law enforcement in Minnesota also had not “identified the threat as credible,” the Minnesota Department of Education said.
TikTok said in a statement Thursday, Dec. 16, it is taking “even rumored threats with utmost seriousness.”
“Which is why we’re working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok,” the social media platform said.
But other TikTok challenges, notably the “slap your teacher challenge” that was reported in the fall, were later proven to be largely a hoax. Vice reported there was no evidence of an initial threat for the challenge, which received national coverage.
The “devious lick” challenge, meanwhile, caused major concern in September at schools across the U.S. Mirrors were shattered, toilets were broken and soap dispensers went missing as a result of the challenge, in which social media users share videos of damage done to schools, McClatchy News reported.
“It’s not just somebody in a classroom of 15 people hearing someone make a threat,” Dr. Amy Klinger, the director of programs for the Educator’s School Safety Network, told Today. “It’s 15,000 people on social media, because it gets passed around and it becomes larger and larger and larger.”
Police and school districts respond
Despite no evidence the alleged TikTok threat is credible, law enforcement agencies and school districts have responded with extra protocols.
The Scottsdale Unified School District in Arizona said, despite law enforcement agencies receiving no credible threats, there would be an increased police presence at its schools.
Other school districts, including in Miami and Chicago, have reportedly issued similar procedures for Dec. 17.
Some school districts have gone as far as canceling classes. Polk School District in Georgia said it was canceling school Friday “out of an abundance of caution,” similar to other districts in the U.S., including Lakeville Area Schools in Minnesota.
Houston-area Fort Bend Independent School District is in session, but has asked students to leave their backpacks at home.
“We are taking this action in the wake of several social media sites challenging students nationwide to threaten their schools,” the school district said. “This issue is far beyond just Fort Bend ISD.”
Ashley Gonzalez, Chief of Police for the Austin (Texas) Independent School District Police Department, also said the threats were “non credible,” while urging caution for parents.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a trend of reposting messages that have no relation to our city, area or schools and many of the threats end up being hoaxes,” he said, according to KXAN. “Please take this time to talk to your child about being responsible on social media and not sharing these threats or warnings, even as a precaution.”
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