Some schools have warned parents, stepped up security and canceled many classes (File)
Washington:
The United States was extra alert to violence in schools on Friday after rumors of possible shootings spread on TikTok, although authorities said no credible threat had been found.
Some schools – already on high alert after a recent shooting – have warned parents and stepped up security, while a number of districts also canceled classes for the day.
“The White House and federal law enforcement are closely monitoring threats of violence in schools that are circulating on social media,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Twitter.
The @White House and federal police are closely monitoring threats of violence in schools circulating on social media. We know that a number of schools across the country are closing today and some parents are keeping their children at home. https://t.co/ZWsGlZ0gd2
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) December 17, 2021
TikTok said it was working with law enforcement to investigate reported videos of an upcoming school shooting but “didn’t find anything”.
“Local authorities, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have confirmed there is no credible threat,” the company said, “so we are working to remove alarming warnings that violate our disinformation policy.”
“If we found any advertising of violence on our platform, we would remove it and report it to law enforcement,” it added.
The FBI said it was investigating alleged threats, and DHS said in a tweet it had “no information pointing to specific, credible threats to schools.”
Recent school shootings
Less than three weeks after the latest mass shooting at a US high school — which killed four students in Oxford, Michigan — school boards reacted quickly to the rumors.
“Information is circulating that today could be a day of attacks on schools. The DC administration and police are very aware of this and are closely monitoring them,” said a message sent to parents by a Washington school Friday morning. .
The Pennsbury School District in Pennsylvania told parents more police would be present, though they “do not consider the threat credible.”
Psaki said that “today is another reminder of how many children and parents live in fear of school shootings or violence. It is unacceptable.”
TikTok, one of the most popular social media services with school-age children, has already come under fire for posting short videos challenging people to perform risky, harmful and illegal acts.
Earlier this year, the viral “Devious Licks” challenge video encouraged students to vandalize bathrooms in schools and turn them into copied TikTok videos.
This led to numerous cases of minor destruction of school properties across the country.
TikTok said at the time it was taking action to remove videos and minimize their distribution “to discourage such behavior”.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun violence nonprofit, there have been at least 149 school shootings in the United States so far this year, killing 32 and injuring 94.
Sandy Hook Promise, a group formed in response to the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, condemned the alleged threat.
“Gun violence is not a subject for jokes or jokes. All threats must be taken seriously,” they said in a statement.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
