We found the July 6th, 2024 New York Times article, “Students Target Teachers in Group TikTok Attack, Shaking Their School” particularly compelling, which spawned the writing of this article.(1) This year, at the White Hatter, we assisted more than half a dozen teachers and schools who were dealing with similar issues, where educators were targeted by both students and parents online. Anecdotally, we found that most of the students involved were in grades 8-10.
In today’s onlife world, technology and social media is an integral part of students’ lives, offering a platform for communication, creativity, and connection. However, it also poses significant challenges, particularly when students weaponize these platforms to target teachers inappropriately. This is just not a Canadian or American phenomenon, it is also happening in other countries as well.(2) This article aims to inform parents and teachers about this concerning trend, its implications, and some ideas on how to address it effectively.
Students, driven by a range of motives from boredom to revenge, sometimes engage in activities on social media that target teachers in harmful ways. These actions can range from creating fake accounts to using advanced technologies like deepfakes to create and post embarrassing pictures of a teacher online. Here are some common ways that we found students weaponized social media to target teachers this past school year:
- Fake Accounts: Students may create fake social media profiles in a teacher’s name. These accounts can be used to post embarrassing or inappropriate content, engage with students inappropriately, or spread false information.
- Deepfakes: Using deepfake technology, students can create realistic but fake images or videos of teachers. These can depict teachers in compromising or inappropriate situations, causing significant harm to their professional reputation and personal life.
- Harassment and Cyberbullying: Students may use social media platforms to harass teachers through direct messages, public posts, or comments. This can include threats, derogatory remarks, or spreading false rumors such as sexually inappropriate behaviour with students.
- Meme and Image Manipulation: Students might create and share memes or doctored images that ridicule or insult teachers. These can quickly go viral, amplifying the damage.
- Recording and Sharing Private Moments: Students might secretly record teachers during class or in private moments, like in a teacher’s bathroom (3), and share these recordings online without consent, often with added derogatory commentary. (4)
- Doxing: Students will search out as much public information online about a teacher and their family as they can, such as home address, phone number, user names and passwords, and then post it online publicly
However, it’s not just the students – sometimes even parents target teachers on social media. This behavior can take various forms, from posting critical comments to orchestrating online campaigns that targets and educator. (5) These actions can arise from a variety of motivations, including dissatisfaction with a teacher’s methods, lesson plan content, disagreements over school policies, or personal grievances. Common examples include public criticism, where parents question a teacher’s competence or methods without allowing for a response; online harassment, involving cyberbullying, harassing messages, or spreading false information; organized campaigns, where parents join online groups dedicated to criticizing specific teachers or pushing for their removal; and sharing confidential information, where parents disclose private details or unfounded accusations about teachers publicly online, thus putting the teacher at risk.
The misuse of social media against teachers can have severe consequences, including emotional and psychological stress, as teachers targeted online often experience significant anxiety and depression. We personally helped one teacher who was so emotionally distraught about being targeted online, they were considering leaving teaching as a profession after being on the job for more than 15 years.
Professionally, false information and inappropriate content can damage a teacher’s reputation, potentially leading to job loss or disciplinary action. Additionally, such incidents can erode the trust between teachers, their administration, students, and parents which can negatively impacting the overall learning environment of the school.
To effectively address the issue of teachers being targeted on social media, a multi-faceted approach is essential.
First, education and awareness are crucial. Schools should educate both students and parents about the responsible use of social media and the serious consequences of misusing it. This includes understanding the ethical and legal implications of targeting teachers online.
Second, clear policies must be established. Schools need to implement explicit guidelines regarding social media use, including the consequences for those who misuse it to target teachers. These policies should be communicated clearly to both students and parents to ensure everyone is aware of the rules and repercussions.
Third, monitoring and reporting systems should be in place. Encouraging students and teachers to report inappropriate behavior or content promptly is vital. Schools can set up anonymous reporting systems to make it easier for students to come forward. For example, in British Columbia, the ERASE reporting tool is available for this purpose.(6)
In severe cases, legal action should be considered. Schools should not hesitate to involve law enforcement or pursue civil actions against those responsible for targeting teachers when reasonable and appropriate to do so. This step underscores the seriousness of the issue and the commitment to protecting educators.(7)(8)
Finally, support systems are essential for teachers who have been targeted. Providing emotional and psychological support, such as counseling services and professional support networks, can help teachers cope with the stress and anxiety caused by online harassment.
The misuse of social media to target teachers is a serious issue that necessitates a collective effort from parents, teachers, school administrations, and sometimes law enforcement and the courts. By raising awareness, establishing clear policies, and providing robust support systems, we can foster a safer and more respectful digital environment for educators, students, and parents alike.
It is crucial for all stakeholders to work together to ensure that social media is used responsibly and that those who misuse it are held accountable for their actions. Only through such concerted efforts can we protect the integrity of our schools and the well-being of our teachers.
At the White Hatter, we offer a 2-hour professional development program for educators that not only updates teachers about the current online activities and behaviours of youth and teens in today’s onlife world, but also delves deeper into the topics covered in this article.(9) If your school is interested in this professional educational opportunity for your educators, please contact us via phone or email.
PS: For the educators who are reading this posting, thank you for what you do, and enjoy the summer break – you deserve it!
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
References:
1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/06/technology/tiktok-fake-teachers-pennsylvania.html
3/ https://thewhitehatter.ca/blog/alert-teacher-discovers-hidden-camera-in-their-classroom/
4/ https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=crazy+teachers+yelling+at+students
5/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/defamed-plaintiffs-awarded-681000/article701257/
6/ https://erasereportit.gov.bc.ca
7/ https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/manitoba-parent-sued-over-defamatory-facebook-comments-1.6902405
9/https://thewhitehatter.ca/programs/internet-investigations/
