Cruel school TikToks making fun of teachers and vulnerable student taken down

30 August 2023 , 20:07

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Clips posted on TikTok appear to have been filmed on school grounds (Image: Edinburgh Live/TIKTOK)

Cruel TikTok videos targeting teachers and a suicidal student have been taken down by the platform.

Clips posted to the video platform appear to be filmed on school grounds, including in the canteen and another in a school corridor. TikTok has now taken down several accounts after being made aware of the alarming content.

The videos, with several from an account called Royal High School Edinburgh, feature pictures and footage of teachers edited with inappropriate music and comments. Multiple accounts mentioning Firhill High School and the Royal High School were reported and taken down by the social media site after they were found to be of a 'bullying nature'.

On one of the accounts, teachers have been filmed eating lunch as well as pictures sourced from their social media with horrible comments. Another account tagging Firhill High School featured a cruel video mocking a pupil who opened up online about wanting to take their own life, Edinburgh Live reports.

A total of five accounts have now been removed, and TikTok says they have put additional measures and guidance in place to proactively detect and remove school-related accounts and content that violate their guidelines. As well as reporting tools within the app and online, the Professional Online Safety Helpline (POSH) enables teachers to ensure that reported content will be investigated by the TikTok moderation teams.

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A spokesperson for TikTok told the Mirror: "We are clear that bullying and harassment have no place on TikTok. We have permanently banned the accounts shared that violate these Guidelines."

The Mirror has contacted the City of Edinburgh Council for comment.

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Iona Young