US SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE STEP UP SECURITY AS FBI INVESTIGATES TIKTOK SHOOTING THREAT

Fri 17 December 2021:

As schools across the country sent out alerts to parents on Friday, the FBI said it was investigating a school shooting threat on the popular social media platform TikTok.

The “school shooting challenge” video, which circulated on TikTok and claimed there would be multiple school gun attacks and bombings across the country on Friday, was dismissed by school districts and law enforcement.

However, many parents were notified, as the threat came less than three weeks after the latest mass shooting in a US high school in Oxford, Michigan, which killed four students.

“There is information circulating that today may be a day of attacks on schools. Administration and DC Police are very aware of this and on close watch,” a message sent to parents by a school in Takoma Park in Washington said.

TikTok said in a statement on Twitter that it is working with law enforcement to investigate the matter.

“We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness,” the statement said, “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.”

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 school district, like many across the U.S., are now encouraging families to talk to children about the seriousness of making threats, even “fake” ones. Law enforcement agencies say fake threats have real consequences, including possible jail time.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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