By Kevin McLaughlin
TikTok, a popular social media platform for teens, is facing heat from schools, parents, and students across the country. A new trend, called “national shoot up your school day” encouraged students to bring weapons to their high school on Friday, December 17th. This threat was reviewed by the Westchester County Police Department, who determined the TikTok posts to be “general and not directed at any individual school or location.”
On Friday, we saw an increased police presence at the IHS campus, to provide extra security as students and teachers entered the building. The Irvington Police Department is always in close contact with the school in case of an emergency.
In an email to parents and teachers, Superintendent Kris Harrison stated, “Please make this an opportunity to have meaningful conversations with your children about responsible social media usage and to always report any public safety concerns to the proper authorities.”
TikTok responded to these rumors, saying, “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.”
A number of schools across the country decided to shut down in an abundance of caution, in states such as Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, and Connecticut.
