TikTok is immensely popular among children and young people, and for the most part offers innocuous and occasionally joyful entertainment, dances and memes, but as with all social media, it also carries risks.
Nationally, there is a recent trend of students creating fake accounts for their schools, and posting inappropriate content about their schools, teachers or peers. Many of those posting these will think they are harmless/funny and may not realise how serious what they are doing could be, and the harm and stress caused to individuals. Local police services and schools consider some of this content as criminal - under laws such as defamation, harassment and copyright infringement.
Before this trend has any opportunity to gain traction at Ryburn, we wish to make parents and students aware that we take this type of activity very seriously, especially when it comes to protecting our staff and children from harm. Incidents of this behaviour may result in suspensions, and we would not rule out involving police if any activity considered criminal were to occur.
We wish to make the following very clear:
Filming is not allowed within the school grounds without permission. Filming or posting videos filmed at school is strictly prohibited.
Mobile phones may not be used in school and will be confiscated if seen.
Mobile phones should be switched off during the school day and placed in children’s bags, not in pockets.
Students must not create fake accounts posing as the school or as another individual, using the school name, logo etc
Students must not post videos which include the names, pictures, video or likeness to any member of staff, taken from any source
Any content which constitutes harassment or defamation will not be tolerated
If your child comes across TikTok content which they think breaks these rules, they should take a screenshot and inform their Head of Year.
In addition to this, for your own child’s safety, we draw your attention to the following guidelines:
The minimum age for TikTok accounts is 13
Any young people using a public social media accounts (or a private one if they accept friend requests from those they do not know in real life) should be especially careful in what content they post. They should avoid any personally identifiable features appearing in their videos, including their full name, their home address or exterior of their house; their school location or, their school uniform or their full name.
To find out more about TikTok and advice on safety features such as family pairing and restricted mode, see this guide.
As parents and carers, the best thing you can do for your child’s online safety is to speak to them regularly about it and be aware of what they are doing online. Take time to educate yourself and keep up to date about online safety, such as by reading the monthly online safety newsletter. Encourage your child to tell you if they have any worries or see something inappropriate, and check that they understand how to block and report content.