Schools, law enforcement boosting security Friday amid national TikTok threat 'challenge' - Dayton 24/7 Now
DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) -- Local law enforcement and school districts are taking extra precautions with a disturbing TikTok trend threatening schools across the country.
Videos on the popular social media app are labeling Dec. 17, ‘National Shoot Up Your School Day.’
At this time, districts and law enforcement are insisting these threats are not local or credible.
“Even though it’s social media and may be taken as a joke,” Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said. “The more it spreads or you actually show up and try to do a challenge, it could really affect the rest of your life, especially if they’re younger people.”
School districts from around the Miami Valley are sending notices out to parents regarding a troubling new, national trend on TikTok threatening violence on school grounds.
“It’s something that’s turning into a much bigger deal than I think students realize it is,” Sheriff Streck said. “Obviously we get a threat that’s a national threat that ‘hey, I hear this is going on.’ One of our school districts has actually seen a video on TikTok talking about it.”
Centerville, Springfield, Huber Heights, Northmont, Tipp City, Dayton Public, Springboro and Kettering are just some in a wave of schools on alert.
All districts are increasing security measures in conjunction with area police.
“As new social media platforms pop up, there can be someone in another country thinking of these challenges and sending them to the United States,” Sheriff Streck said. “Something that you do now could affect the rest of their lives.”
Sheriff Streck says at this point in middle and high schoolers' lives, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law even for sharing and reposting threats.
“The days of taking you home and telling your mom and dad, ‘you better tell junior to calm down,’ are over,” he said. “You can be prosecuted, get misdemeanor charges or felony charges when you get into certain types of inducing panic.”
Law enforcement says communication between parents and children is a must even if it means having to monitor children while on social media.
“The problem is you never know what one person is going to think it is,” Sheriff Streck said. “There could be 10,000 people that look at it and laugh it off and think nothing of it. But the problem is when one person takes it seriously and decides that they’re going to act on it.”
TikTok is removing videos showcasing the threats and when addressing national shoot up your school day the company said this on Twitter:
Sheriff Streck says if you or your child see what looks to be a threat to report it to your school district and law enforcement immediately.
source: https://dayton247now.com/news/local/schools-law-enforcement-boosting-security-amid-national-tiktok-threat-challenge
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