‘I am worried’: Schools up safety in response to threats circulating on TikTok

CHARLOTTE — School districts at home and across the county stepped up safety measures Friday in response to school violence threats circulating on TikTok.

It’s a disturbing trend that has forced police and local schools to work overtime investigating every threat. Though there were no credible threats Friday in the Channel 9 viewing area, parents are still concerned.

Pamela Harris is a grandparent who said she had heard the threats whispered on social media, primarily TikTok, that Friday was the day to take violence to the schools and she didn’t wait for something to happen.

“I have been talking to my grandkids about certain things because I have two at Julius Chambers and I am worried about them today,” Harris said. “I kept in touch with them and everything is good.”

Local school districts had heard the rumors too and many proactively let parents know they weren’t going to put up with threats, even those that weren’t credible. In a message to parents, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools said in part, “The safety of students and staff is nothing to joke about. CMS will continue to report all threats to law enforcement for investigation.”

Several other districts Channel 9 contacted echoed that message and none of them said they had any actual incidents happen Friday.

In a tweet, TikTok said they were collaborating with the FBI and other agencies and haven’t found any credible threats. They said they were working to remove what they called “alarmist” warnings.

Melanie Hempe is a Charlotte nurse and mother of four who started an organization called Screen Strong to help parents steer their children away from social media.

“I believe all of these threats should be taken seriously. This is how bad things happen,” Hempe said.

She said the TikTok threats were just the latest examples of the very real damage those platforms are causing.

“I think kids are very, very into mimicking what they see,” Hempe said. “This is why this platform works for this type of threat, for sure.”

In Texas Friday, school districts in the Houston area asked students to leave their backpacks at home in response to the TikTok threats.

This comes in the wake of the recent tragedy at a Michigan High School where four students were killed. That local county has now documented more than 135 threats.

And on Long Island, New York, one district reported a 148% spike in school threats this year -- 25% higher since before the pandemic.

Violence has become all too common in schools in and around Charlotte, so leaders have started to make some safety changes. Those include clear backpacks ordered for CMS high school students.

(WATCH: Local program aims to help kids break cycle of violence in Charlotte schools)