A recent TikTok trend warning of violence in schools throughout the nation on Friday, Dec. 17 created concern within the Montgomery County Public Schools community.
In the days leading up to Dec. 17, posts describing planned attacks on schools across the United States began appearing on TikTok and other social media platforms. The threats made or referenced in these posts were vague, and while some contained acronyms, many did not name a single school or area as a potential target.
While it is unknown exactly where or how these threats began, news of them spread quickly on social media, with teens reposting them and warning their classmates to stay home from school.
Law enforcement was soon made aware of these threats, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement addressing the trend on Twitter. In this announcement, the DHS stated that they were monitoring the situation, but that they did “not have any information indicating specific, credible threats.” Nevertheless, they advised communities to remain alert.
TikTok’s Communications Team also released a statement through Twitter, announcing that they were working with law enforcement to investigate the posts. They also stated that they had “not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok,” and that they only found “videos discussing this rumor and warning others to stay safe.”
TikTok later announced that they would be removing “alarmist warnings” surrounding the trend as a violation of their misinformation policy.
Many students within MCPS expressed their fear and anxiety surrounding the threats. “I thought it was very concerning, and even after I knew they were fake, I was still scared that one of them might be real,” Richard Montgomery High School junior Liz Frisbie said.
In response to the viral posts, MCPS released a public announcement on Dec. 17. In this message, the school system emphasized the lack of credibility that the threats had, and assured the community that they were working with the Montgomery County Police Department to monitor the situation. MCPS ultimately made the decision to keep schools open on Friday.
Although none of the violent events described in these social media warnings occurred, this incident provides an alarming look at how social media can be used to spread rumors and proliferate dangerous behaviors among teens.
According to the National Association of School Psychologists, a 2012 study found that 90% of 13- to 17-year-olds reported using some form of social media. While social media can have benefits, such as instant communication, it also comes with many risks.
Aside from cyberbullying and privacy concerns, social media can also be dangerous due to the ease with which crisis-related rumors and false information are spread. These rumors can create a sense of panic, and sometimes even trigger crises.
A federal law enforcement source speaking to CNN described how fictional threats, such as those surrounding Dec. 17, could inspire an offender to actually carry out an attack. “This is an illustration of how social media and other communication platforms play a role in spreading threat related narratives, which can then result in the need for escalated security measures in and around parts of our critical infrastructure,” the source said.
Article Written by Chloe Goldberg of Richard Montgomery High School
Graphic by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School