Reportedly, teachers are quitting their jobs after pupils are falsely labelling them as paedophiles in TikTok videos. There is a nationwide teacher-bashing trend on the popular social media platform TikTok, which has made students use derogatory comments while making videos on their teachers. In these offensive videos, students are seen calling educators adulterers and paedophiles as a part of the bashing frenzy.
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Due to these trends, many teachers have been quitting their jobs, reportedly. This has led teaching unions to take action against TikTok as well as the accounts posting such content. After a succession of insulting footage circulated on social media, schools in Dumbarton urged parents to check their children's phones.
Unions furious at teachers’ abuse
Students at Cwmtawe Community School in Wales had to call the cops when a meme wrongly indicated one of their teachers was a criminal. Students at The de Ferrers Academy in Burton have been secretly photographing teachers in class to include in 'sexualized' movies. All these incidents have led teachers to enough humiliation for them to quit their jobs. Amidst this, the question arises if companies like TikTok are supporting such videos?
Pupils are sharing video clips from their lecturers’ using hashtags, which allows TikTok users to search for such themes. The app uses a suggestion algorithm, so if a user searches for #paedo, the algorithm will suggest #paedoteacher. As such, Dr Patrick Roach, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union commented:
If there is any evidence that companies like TikTok are actively promoting or inciting the abuse of teachers, this is wholly unacceptable and urgent action must be taken immediately by the Government.
There is simply no excuse for the abuse of teachers whose lives are being ruined as a result of the posting of malicious content on these social media platforms.
Urgent action required
Considering how the teachers and unions have been reacting to this trend, it is significant to understand and resolve the conflict. According to schools, TikTok was not responding to demands to remove the claims promptly. Due to the company's delayed reactions, many parents took their children's phones to school, so staff could conduct their own inquiry.
Further, Scotland's largest teaching union said it would explore all possibilities to protect its members from harassment and has encouraged local authorities to have police investigate individual occurrences. However, TikTok says it has taken down many videos with content against educators and even banned accounts posting such inappropriate videos. It is also to be believed that they are using new, faster technology to better detect such abusive material and take action against it.
