Teachers are reportedly quitting their jobs after being falsely labelled as paedophiles by students in TikTok videos.
The nationwide TikTok ‘teaching-bashing’ craze has seen students make ‘derogatory comments’ about educators, including falsely labelling staff as adulterers and paedophiles.
The Telegraph reports that unions warned teachers about the dangers of TikTok videos, and they have reported the video to police.
Our Lady and St Patrick’s high school, Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire has been among the victims of this dangerous craze. The school has urged parents and guardians to ensure their children’s safety after a number of derogatory videos have been shared on social media.
Elsewhere, Cwmtawe Community School in Wales had to call the police after a meme falsely suggested one teacher was an offender, while The de Ferrers Academy in Burton has seen students covertly taking pictures of teachers in class to use in often ‘sexualised’ videos.
Students at Our Lady and St Patrick’s high school (pictured in Dumbarton), West Dunbartonshire have shared abusive material about teachers via social media
NASUWT Teachers Union warned teachers that social media is leading to them quitting their profession.
NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said that if there’s evidence that TikTok is actively encouraging or inciting teacher abuse, it is totally unacceptable. Therefore, the government must immediately take urgent action.
“There’s no reason to abuse teachers who are suffering from the spread of malign content via social media.”
TikTok states it has removed thousands of pages of content and banned accounts wherever appropriate. It is also using new technology in order to identify abusive material.
Scotland’s largest teacher union has stated that they will “consider all possibilities” to protect their members. They also asked councils for police investigation into specific incidents.
Students at Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School in Dumbarton have falsely labelled teachers as paedophiles in a string of TikTok videos.
Parents and caregivers received a letter from Christopher Smith (head teacher at Our Lady), written with the assistance of Laura Mason, council education chief. It was published last week on the school’s social media pages.
The letter was signed by Mr Smith. He wrote that he knew of several TikTok accounts that had been set up that included images and comments that were derogatory about his teaching staff.
TikTok has been a craze where students have made “derogatory comments” about teachers and pupils (stock image).
“I know you can visualize how difficult this is for anybody who has been subjected.
“Given that we continue to focus on making sure our schools offer inclusive and diverse learning environments for our students, this is unacceptable.
In the letter, it stated: “We encourage you to monitor and supervise your child’s usage of their phones and social media sites in general.
Police Scotland has been made aware of the ‘upsetting’ jibes being hurled at staff by students at Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School.
Councillor Karen Conaghan, West Dunbartonshire Council’s education coordinator said that she would ask students to put themselves in another person’s shoes to see if it’s something they want to do.
“Pupils should know that these behaviors have consequences.”
Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie labelled the footage as ‘completely inappropriate’, adding: ‘Everyone has the right to be treated with respect and this extends to the way they are treated on social media platforms, as well as in person.
“I’m aware of the fact that Our Lady and St Patrick’s teach its pupils respect and politeness, and they are right to punish anyone caught making these videos.”
Educational Institute of Scotland spokesmen said, “This is a matter of increasing concern. The EIS will examine all options to protect its members.
“Local authorities must take appropriate measures to protect employees. This includes possible police intervention where necessary.
TikTok is also a popular craze. students at The de Ferrers Academy in Burton secretly taking pictures of teachers and using them in often ‘sexualised’ videos.
Principal Kathy Hardy warns that these incidents will not be tolerated by Burton schools. Leaders are currently investigating for any pupils involved.
She stated that many of the images were sexualized and that the tone and language used was inappropriately offensive and hurtful.
“Images were taken secretly during school staff teaching.”
Schools leaders also advised students to be aware of the dangers. they risk being prosecuted in court and being expelled.
Meanwhile, Cwmtawe Community School in Pontardawe, Wales, contacted the police after a video was secretly shot in class, despite the school’s mobile ban, and shared to TikTok.
A child who was mistreated by a teacher alerted the school about the video. The school spoke to parents in an effort to determine who uploaded it.
Gemma Morgan is the assistant head teacher of the school. [from TikTok] said they didn’t deem it as bullying.
“So we had to investigate the situation and identify the perpetrator so that they could take the matter down.
Hants student Horndean Technology College posted an infuriating video to social media, claiming they want their headteacher killed and that they will gouge out her eyes. They then admitted to it, saying that they were doing it for more followers and likes.
The shocking death threat video was posted by the student to TikTok — a social network famed for its comedy and viral videos.
Julie Summerfield was the victim of the sickening video. She said that when she confronted her about the matter, they admitted they posted the video ‘to gain more likes and followers’.
She replied, “I asked them: How would you feel if someone wrote such a thing about your mother?”
“They stated that they were doing it for more likes and followers.
“What’s worrying about this is that there are many more ways for people to do horrible things anonymously.
“A lot of students don’t view it as a school problem – it’s quite shocking for people to find out that they can do something about.
Andrea Marr was the school’s antibullying coordinator. She said that she had been attacked by three students using the platform, one of which used a photo-shopped image in order to make her homophobic.
Ms Marr explained that someone mocked her up holding a sign that said “I hate homosexual people” – it was very hurtful.
It is believed that at least 10 Horndean Technology College teachers were targeted in this single month.
School held several assemblies in response to the problem as part of Anti-Bullying Alliance’s Anti-Bullying Week.
They are part of a longer-standing, broader focus on bullying and helping other schools tackle the problem.
Madelyn Grace (14-year-old school student) told the Portsmouth News that there had been an increase in hateful comments on social media.
“It’s something that schools as well as the older generations, and all people, need to be thinking about.
“It is not only that stones and sticks may break my bones,”
The intervention comes just as the Government intervened in August after abuses were made to teachers by TikTok video – which included them being mistakenly called paedophiles or mocked.
The Association of School and College Leaders received more than 50 complaints from staff who were subject to ‘disgraceful abuse’ via images and messages posted to social media platforms.
Headteachers union claims that the posts are often offensive and defamatory, and even homophobic.
Baroness Barran is the Minister for Academies and she said she was deeply concerned about the ‘abhorrent abuse’. TikTok is being contacted by the Department for Education to discuss the measures it has taken.
TikTok has been urged by school leaders to quickly remove these posts and stop ‘offensive or abusive’ content from ever being posted.
Geoff Barton is the general secretary for ASCL. He said that school personnel have been subject to disgraceful abuse over the last few weeks through images and messages posted on social media site TikTok.
“We don’t know the extent of this, but we have received more than 50 reports and suspect that there may be many more.
These posts can be offensive or defamatory. Some are even homophobic. Although schools have told us they requested TikTok’s removal of these messages, TikTok frequently fails to respond despite clear violations to the platform community guidelines.
“This is distressing material for staff and young people targeted. It could result in them being expelled from school or even being subject to a police investigation.
Mr Barton stated that the union had written TikTok in order to request a meeting and the issue was raised with the governments from England, Wales, Northern Ireland.
He said that TikTok is currently investigating the matter and that it uses a mix of technology and moderation teams in order to remove any content that is not within its guidelines.
According to a spokesperson for the Government, it is unacceptable that anyone harasses or intimidates teachers and other educators.
Online abuses are unacceptable and should be reported immediately to the police.
“We engage with TikTok about the steps they are taking to resolve this issue involving teachers.
“We know that social media platforms must take steps to prevent harmful content from being posted on them and so we have introduced laws that will bring about a new age of social media company accountability.”
TikTok spokesperson said that harassment, bullying, and hateful behavior are not allowed on the site.
“We are sorry for the pain caused by abusive material posted on our platform to teachers.
“We’ve deployed more technical measures and guidelines, and we continue proactively to detect and remove any violative accounts or content.
“While everyone can report in-app inappropriate content, we partner with the Professional Online Safety Helpline for teachers to offer an additional method to report content. We have also committed additional funds in response to recent events.
“We’ve written to all the schools to assure that they have the right resources, and will continue working with the affected teachers, parents, unions, and other partners in order to eradicate this intolerable abuse.
MailOnline reached out TikTok to get more details.