A threat to schools nationwide circulating on TikTok prompting the closure of several Wisconsin schools after the threat of violence could not be disproven as a hoax.
The vague threat, with no specific origin, included text of todays date and warnings of shootings and other violence occurring at schools across the nation. Platteville and Hamilton school districts both elected to cancel school Friday after local law enforcement could not guarantee that the threats were not credible.
Milwaukee Public Schools continued to have classes and did not close any facilities. The district addressed the TikTok trend in a Facebook post yesterday afternoon, encouraging families to have a discussion on the dangers of school threats and posting on social media.
TikTok acknowledged the hysteria over the trend in a Twitter statement Thursday, “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.”
In a Twitter statement Friday, TikTok confirmed that law enforcement agencies have found no evidence of a credible threat while addressing how local media’s involvement in spreading misinformation could potentially cause more harm than good.
3/ Media reports have been widespread and based on rumors rather than facts, and we are deeply concerned that the proliferation of local media reports on an alleged trend that has not been found on the platform could end up inspiring real world harm.
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) December 17, 2021
According to MPS there were no active threats of violence towards student or faculty safety at this time.
