Messages threaten violence in schools on Friday, Dec. 17
Posted:
Updated:
FILE – In this Monday, Sept. 28, 2020 photo, a logo of a smartphone app TikTok is seen on a user post on a smartphone screen, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
(WTRF) — The Associated Press (AP) reports that educators are on high alert following posts on TikTok warning of shooting and bomb threats in schools nationwide.
The West Virginia State Police released a statement on their Facebook page that they are aware of the “messages trending nationwide on social media that threaten violence in schools on Friday, Dec. 17.”
In Jefferson County, Ohio, officials at Buckeye Local School District issued a statement online to the school community concerning the threats:
Dear Parents, guardians and students. Several schools across the US have been made aware of a ‘national threat’ of gun violence on December 17th. This comes after a TikTok trend emerged that says that numerous school shootings will take place on December 17th. Many people on TikTok are making schools and administrators aware of this sick trend. We as a Buckeye Local staff are taking extra precautions at each school to assure the safety of our students. Please have a discussion with your children to make them aware and to let them know the schools are taking measures to keep them safe. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and have a good evening.
Buckeye Local School District officials
The AP says TikTok is working with law enforcement to investigate the threats. Internet companies like TikTok are generally exempt from liability for users’ posts, due partly to the legal safe harbor they have from Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, says the AP.
Stay with 7NEWS and WTRF.com for updates to this developing story.
More Stories
Ausdroid Reviews: Amazon Fire TV Cube 4K – Turn your dumb TV into a smarter TV
Best 6 Plagiarism Checker Tools for 2023
Angular 16 to improve server-side rendering