Don't Want Any Casualties, Threat Trends On TikTok Make US Schools Close Simultaneously

JAKARTA - Due to widespread threats on TikTok, schools across the United States (US) canceled their classes last Friday. This also made the parents of students commotion.

The threat contained a bombing and shooting plot that went viral on TikTok. According to reports, schools in the districts of California, Texas, Minnesota, and Missouri were closed on Friday, December 17.

Meanwhile other districts have asked police to stand guard, and emailed people saying they were investigating the allegations.

So far local authorities have found that the threat is invalid. The district and local police department said they had heard of a trend that pointed to a possible shooting or bombing at a school that day.

Therefore, many schools and law enforcement officials said that the threat had not been verified but was being investigated.

"Law enforcement agencies have investigated this threat and determined that it originated in Arizona and is not credible," the Baltimore County Public Schools wrote on Twitter.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also tweeted, "there are no known specific threats to New Jersey schools," Murphy said.

Chances are, the threats emanating from TikTok will continue as TikTok users create videos with the hashtag #schoolthreats warning others that they should skip school on December 17, citing threats of shooting or bombing.

In response to the case, TikTok revealed that they have not identified any videos that make specific threats and have been working with law enforcement to examine the threats with the highest seriousness.

"We have not found evidence of any such threat originating or spreading through TikTok," the app tweeted on its official Twitter.

It is known, the reason why this threat can be taken seriously, because this month three students were killed and eight injured in a school shooting in Oxford, Michigan. The US has seen nine school shootings and 235 non-shooting incidents this year. So, it makes sense that threats are taken seriously.

The TikTok trend has become a breeding ground for dangerous rumors that went viral before. Like the challenge of slapping the teacher. In many cases, it is difficult to distinguish a trend from a true threat.