(WWJ) – Michigan State Police say they’re aware of copycat school threats making the rounds nationwide on TikTok apparently targeting Dec. 17 as a date of violence.
MSP said on Twitter Thursday afternoon they haven’t found any credible threats, though they are continuing to urge anyone who becomes aware of a school safety threat to report it to police, a trusted adult or confidentially through the OK2Say app or website.
The message comes as schools and law enforcement officials across the country are on high alert over the apparent general threat.
WFSB in Connecticut reports it all stems from a threat circulating the popular social media platform TikTok.
A video on the app had a message that said “praying for people who go to school on December 17,” according to WFSB. It was not clear where that message originated, but there have been countless “copycat” videos talking about Dec. 17.
A psychology professor told WFSB many teens may be trying to go viral by sharing such videos, looking for "clout" -- or how many views they get on the app.
Law enforcement across the country, including MSP, have issued statements saying they’re aware of the threats, but have not found anything credible.
In Florida, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno posted a video to TikTok on Thursday afternoon warning students they will be prosecuted for making threats, even if they’re false.
“All you out there that are ‘TikToking’ like you normally do, I’m on TikTok. And I’m telling you and I’m promising you – fake threat, real consequence,” he said. “If you think you’re gonna post a threat -- fake or real -- I can promise you, you’re not only gonna to get out of school, because you will – but you’re going to jail.”
Marceno’s message echoes what Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said in the days following the Oxford shooting.
“I don’t know what is in people’s minds to think after a real tragedy it makes sense to make threats," Bouchard said earlier this month. "And typically, we see it fall into two buckets: one is, they think it’s funny. It is not."
"Two, they think it’s a way to get out of school. It is not. It’s a crime. Even if it’s not a credible threat against the school."
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Metro Detroit schools have been inundated with false threats in the two weeks since the Oxford High School shooting that claimed the lives of four students on Nov. 30, leading to charges against more than 80 students, including 39 in Wayne County alone.
“This is not a game,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy told WWJ earlier this month.
Authorities have said on multiple occasions over the last two weeks they'll investigate every report of threats they receive. On Thursday, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office announced they're investigating after MSP received a tip through the Ok2Say platform about a threat at Rochester High School.
A social media image of three guns on a person's lap had the caption “F*** being free I’m bout to give up and go back to jail f*** it.” Authorities are still investigating the tip.