Inappropriate TikTok Posts
It has come to our attention that some pupils at our school have been making and posting short videos and/or photographs of other pupils or staff online, with the express aim of humiliating and abusing them. The majority of this content is on the TikTok App and has been uploaded using the school’s name or variations of the school’s name.
I wish to be absolutely clear that such actions are classed as online bullying and harassment and are a very serious matter. Anonymous posts can be investigated and can be prosecuted.
As a parent(s)/carer(s) of a child at the school, I am sure that you would not wish your child to be targeted in this way. Online abuse can be devastating for the victims and can have serious repercussions for mental health and self esteem. A nasty online post is never funny for the victim. A number of pupils and parents have already been in touch with us to report this content and to express their concerns about the distress that these posts and videos have caused their child/children as well as the wider family.
We are a community at MACS and we all want the children who attend our school to be able to be free from online bullying and harassment. If we all work together to tackle this issue, parents, staff and pupils we can protect children from the consequences that such online abuse can cause.
I am writing to ask for your support on two fronts. Firstly, I would be grateful if you could discuss the issue of online bullying and harassment with your child/children and emphasise the message that such content causes real people to get hurt and can have very serious consequences.
Secondly, I would be grateful if you could convey to your child/children that the school takes a very serious view of such actions and that appropriate sanctions will be used for any pupils who are found to be responsible for uploading posts which target pupils and staff in the name of the school. We will continue to refer any such posts to TikTok and to South Wales Police. Your support would be much appreciated in deleting any inappropriate material that you may discover.
I thank you, in anticipation of your support in this matter.
