TikTok confirmed that it is working to remove all alarmist warnings about an alleged day of school violence. The said day was rumored to take place on Dec. 17.
The threat of a nationwide day of violence at schools across the United States prompted dozens of districts to cancel classes even though law enforcement said that the threats were not credible. It turns out that the nationwide day of violence was a TikTok challenge.
TikTok to Remove Alarmist Warnings on Platform
TikTok posted a statement on Twitter and revealed that the warnings violated the platform's misinformation policy, which prohibits the spread of fake news, hoaxes, or false warnings about issues that will cause panic and will be treated as real.
We handle 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.
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) December 16, 2021
The social media platform said they'd searched the system, and they had not found any content that promotes violence at schools despite the widespread rumors.
TikTok's communications team stated that what they found were videos talking about the rumor and warning people to stay safe, according to The Verge.
The platform added that local authorities, the DHS, and the FBI had confirmed no credible threat, so they are now working to remove alarmist warnings that violate their policy.
The social media company said that it would remove and report any threats that it would find to the authorities. They are concerned that the proliferation of local media reports on a trend that has not been found on TikTok could end up inspiring real-world harm.
Schools Closed Due to Baseless Threat
Due to the baseless threat, school districts across the United States were forced to cancel classes on Dec. 17. Districts in Texas, Minnesota, California, and Missouri had closed the schools on the said day, according to News 18.
Other districts had heightened police presence and had emailed parents to say that they had been investigating the rumors despite little to no evidence that the threats were real.
Both the districts and the local police departments admitted that they've heard about a trend referencing the possibility of school shootings or bombings on the said day.
Dozens of districts and law enforcement divisions said they'd investigated the matter, and the alleged threats were not real. Law enforcement agencies revealed that the alleged threat began in Arizona and was not credible.
A school district in Missouri said that there had been no threats to any of the schools in their area. Ohio's Milford Exempted Village School District wrote to parents and said that there had been no credible local threats.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said no known threats against schools in their district either.
Law enforcement revealed that the threats on TikTok were self-perpetuating, Reuters report.
The videos posted on the platform warned others that they should skip school because of the threats of bombings or shootings. The videos were shared and were viewed by thousands of students.
After the video went viral, schools canceled classes to keep the students safe. TikTok confirmed the threats were baseless and assured the district officials, students, and parents that they had nothing to worry about.
TikTok has been working on making the platform safer for its users. Earlier this year, TikTok began using reviewing systems to remove graphic content.
TikTok also automatically removes raunchy and violent videos on the app.
Related Article: A TikTok Trend Is Being Credited for Saving a Young Girl's Life
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Written by Sophie Webster
