Threat Found On Haverford Middle School Bathroom Wall Prompts Warning About Dangerous TikTok Challenge
HAVERTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A message in a Delaware County middle school bathroom is a warning that now multiple school districts in the Philadelphia region are paying very close attention to.
The message in the bathroom said that there could be a shooting at Haverford Middle School on Friday, and now authorities are warning of a dangerous challenge on TikTok to threaten schools.
The social media posts threaten shootings, bomb threats and other violent acts. While officials believe there's currently no local credible threat, they have to be cautious.
It's not a call to panic.
Officials say it's not something to play with.
A TikTok video spreading nationwide is encouraging violence in schools on Friday, Dec. 17.
"We take this extremely serious because we have to always be on alert," Philadelphia School Safety Chief Kevin Bethel said.
On Thursday, numerous schools in the Delaware Valley sent letters and posted to social media about the TikTok challenge.
Bethel says that is only heightened locally by the increase in gun violence and nationally by incidents like the Michigan school shooting.
"Most of the threats we get are coming from our children," Bethel said. "We have to do a better job of watching what our children are doing on social media."
Because of this, both the Evesham Township and Gloucester County Police Departments in New Jersey say they will increase their presence around schools Friday. In Upper Darby, officials say they are aware of this too.
"They see that's it's been viewed a quarter million times, a half-million times, three-quarter of a million times in the past day, that gives the voice power even though there might not be anything behind it," said Jason Thatcher, a Temple University professor specializing in social media, cybersecurity and IT.
But students say social media has a good side.
"We use social media for positive things like upcoming events, such as sports, any activities that's going on," student Naeimah Muhammad said. "All positive things."
TikTok released a statement saying it is taking these threats seriously and is working with law enforcement but adds it has not found evidence of these threats originating or spreading on the app.