There were rumors that schools across the U.S. faced threats of violence on Friday, December 17. Many local law enforcement agencies and at least one federal agency have weighed in, revealing that the threat doesn't appear to be substantiated, despite a number of schools closing their doors.
The Department of Homeland Security did not find any specific, credible threats, though they were aware of a possible threat to schools. The agency encouraged communities to remain alert.
The public and our partners will be kept informed by the DHS. If you see something, say something.
>
December 17, 2021.
On Thursday, TikTok stated that it was communicating with law enforcement but had not found evidence of the threats. While it is true that the threat is not found on TikTok, posts spreading fear around the possibility of violence on December 17 abound and are likely for the viral rumor's swift nationwide spread.
One post under a related TikTok # stated, "I luv you guys, stay safe on dec 17." The creator of the video explained that his school was threatened two times and that there was a shooting in the US. There were bomb threat scares in their schools.
TikTok said Friday that it was still unable to find a credible threat that could have kicked off the rumors.
We've searched for content that promotes violence at schools, but have found nothing. We found videos that warned others to stay safe.
>
December 17, 2021.
The law enforcement agencies and school districts in the U.S. weighed in on the rumors, emphasizing that no threats have been made.
There is no credible information that this threat is related to any school in Illinois. The police department patrols the school grounds daily. Everyone is encouraged to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
The Lee County Sheriff in Florida responded to the rumors with a TikTok video discouraging fake threats.
Schools in a number of states closed their doors Friday because of rumors. Local and federal law enforcement are keeping an eye on the situation.
TikTok hides a challenge that has kids stealing their school's soap dispensers.
TikTok is testing a desktop streaming software.
