School Wars trend sparks police patrols and parental warnings
Posts on TikTok and Snapchat encouraging pupils to take part in "school wars" fights have prompted increased police patrols, letters from headteachers and calls for platforms to remove accounts promoting violence.
School Wars trend leaves Bristol schools on alert
In Bristol, posts that split schools into "red" and "blue" sides and referenced a "Bristol War" for pupils in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 have led Avon and Somerset Police to step up visible patrols. The force said reassurance patrols would take place around school starting and leaving hours as a "precaution" and that it was "monitoring the situation extremely closely. " A force spokesperson added officers had been in contact with schools across Bristol to offer reassurance and crime prevention advice to staff and students, and said there was no evidence that any incidents linked to the "national" social media trend had occurred in the city.
Met asks platforms to ban accounts and disable posts
In London, the Metropolitan police have urged pupils not to get involved and asked social media platforms to ban accounts promoting "school wars. " Commander Neerav Patel said the force was aware of posts and in contact with several London boroughs to offer reassurance. "We continue to closely monitor online spaces and have worked with platforms to request a dozen social media accounts to be disabled where threats or violence were planned or encouraged, " he said.
Weapons, points systems and earlier police action
Some posts advertised regional clashes: one promoted a "north London war" between pupils from year seven to 11 that pitted four named schools on a "red side" against four on a "blue side. " Another promoted a "Hackney war" and used images of weapons to bring, including knives, compasses and fireworks. Other posts suggested a points system based on the harm done to opponents and urged participants to "be violent. " A previous attempt to organise a school fight in Hackney prompted police to issue a dispersal order. Police have been put on alert after posts that have incited pupils to carry knives.
What schools and parents are being told to do
Headteachers have sent letters urging parents to check their children's phones and to discourage sharing content linked to what some schools described as "organised violence. " One letter warned: "We are concerned that, through online communications, some young people may be sharing images of weapons and encouraging serious youth violence. " Schools advised parents to report concerns and, where there is a significant worry, to check bags for weapons being carried "for 'protection' or with intent to do harm. " Fortismere school in Muswell Hill told parents it was alerting them to social media activity encouraging so-called tagging or "schools wars"-style games. Graveney school in Tooting said it would deploy usual security measures, "including using our ability to search students if necessary. "
Pupils sceptical as officials warn of criminal consequences
Pupils questioned the veracity of some posts, with at least one year 10 pupil saying: "People are just trying to fearmonger parents … any teenager with common sense would not meet somewhere where the police have been told about and bring a weapon. " Officials emphasised the legal risks: Commander Patel warned, "An arrest, charge and conviction for violence and carrying weapons could mean imprisonment, with a significant long-term impact on future opportunities. " Technology Secretary Liz Kendall described the content as "deeply concerning" and said she understood TikTok chiefs were taking "action to review and address it. " She added, "Encouraging violence by urging children to take knives to school is illegal. I expect platforms to abide by the letter of the law and where the content is illegal, they should take action to stop these abhorrent posts. "
Snapchat's internal safety team has taken down posts that incited violence, and TikTok has been removing content that violates its community guidelines forbidding threats, the glorifying of violence, or the promotion of crimes. Health secretary Wes Streeting said he had flagged the issue to colleagues and wrote under one of the posts: "I’ve raised this at highest levels in government. Hope parents are clear with their children that we’ll come down on this sort of behaviour like a ton of bricks. "
Avon and Somerset Police said they would maintain a heightened presence in several areas "over the next few days, " including reassurance patrols at schools listed on the social media posts, and that contingency plans were in place should they be needed. The Metropolitan police said it would continue to monitor online spaces and work with platforms to disable accounts where threats or violence were planned or encouraged.
