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Middle Schoolers Impersonate Teachers in Social Media Attack

Photo by Ruben Rodriguez via Unsplash

Middle Schoolers Impersonate Teachers in Social Media Attack

By Movieguide® Staff

A school district in Pennsylvania is reporting on what is being called the first-ever social media attack of its kind — middle schoolers created dozens of fake TikTok accounts impersonating their teachers, using their likenesses to post harmful content. 

“Over the past few weeks, 22 of our teachers and staff at Great Valley Middle School have been victimized where fake social media accounts were created,” says Nikki Salvatico, president of the Great Valley Education Association. “The nature of these accounts include pornographic, racist, homophobic and cruel pictures and text depicting the teachers, their families, including their children.” 

 Salvatico said the misconduct had disrupted the safe, educational environment the teachers had created.  

“Every time an iPad is opened in the classroom, our teachers fear that pictures or videos may be taken and will be shared on social media platforms as a cruel meme,” Salvatico said. 

“Many of my students spend hours and hours and hours on TikTok, and I think it’s just desensitized them to the fact that we’re real people,” Bettina Scibilia, an eighth-grade English teacher at the school, said. “They didn’t feel what a violation this was to create these accounts and impersonate us and mock our children and mock what we love.”

This incident speaks to larger concerns about the impact that social media — and technology at large — are having on children specifically in the classroom. In June, the Los Angeles County Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country, voted to ban the use of cell phones and social media platforms during the school day.  

Similarly, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order earlier this week making classrooms “cell phone free.”

Rob D’Ovidio, an associate professor at Drexel University who researches high-tech crime, said the fictitious TikTok accounts impersonating middle school teachers in Chester County could lead to criminal charges. 

 “This type of behavior does fall under Pennsylvania’s harassment statute. I think that when you look at the nuances and the various sections of that statute, there’s application here,” D’Ovidio said. 

In such a changing digital landscape, the potential for harmful content to fall into the laps of children — or for children to want to create it increases — exponentially. Parents must be the first voices children hear when it comes to digital ethics, developing their understanding of potential pitfalls and the impact of our actions as they learn to navigate an increasingly digital world.  

Movieguide® previously reported on lawmakers’ work to protect kids from the dangers of social media:

Last week the United States Surgeon General called for a warning label to be applied to social media advising users about the effect the technology has on young users, a move that could help save our kids from its addictive power.

“I’m looking at what’s taking place online, on social media in particular and I’m worried about all of our kids,” U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told Fox News. “The warning label I’m calling for is one part of a larger set of strategies that we need to put in place to, not only warn parents about these harms but ultimately make social media safer for kids.”

While data revealing the negative effect social media has on the young brain has been building in recent years, the endorsement from Dr. Murthy has given it a new level of credibility. A surgeon general’s warning label would take some time to be applied — having to first be approved by Congress — however, Dr. Murthy’s intention has already made waves.


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