Owen Sound Police are advising students to stay away from harmful TikTok challenges.
Special Constable Jason Cranny says police were made aware of one challenge on the video social media platform in September, popularizing vandalism in school bathrooms.
Cranny says in talking with local school administrators, police found some schools had issues with this challenge taking place.
He adds police were further made aware the month of October is known on TikTok to be “smack a staff member month.”
In response, Cranny says they want parents to be well aware laying a hand on a teacher or faculty member can result in criminal charges.
“There’s other things that kind of happen on TikTok and there are certainly challenges that go on all the time and a lot of them are prank-focused and we understand that they go on,” Cranny explains. “But, when they cross the line of criminality and the police have to get involved there could be some repercussions.
Owen Sound Police took to Twitter on Monday to advise against taking part in any of these online dares — warning participation in some challenges could result in charges.
Some recent #TikTokChallenges that have been brought to our attention are quite concerning. Be advised that participation in these challenges can & will result in crimal charges if applicable. @ChiefAmbroseOSP @JFluneyOSPS @Insp_DBishop @OSPApres pic.twitter.com/zZ2RCh57tN
— OwenSoundPolice (@OwenSoundPolice) October 4, 2021
While Cranny notes he is confident students in the area will take the highroad, he says police wanted to make sure they got ahead of this trend to deter anyone from participating in anything harmful.
“We hope that students would make a healthier choice, but we also know that things do happen, and if that is the case and we have to get involved, there could be some repercussions and just reminding parents they also play a role in their child’s life and just talking to them about these things which may seem harmless at the time,” says Cranny.
Cranny says if charges need to be laid, it could vary depending on the situation, ranging from vandalism to assault.
He is encouraging students to stay away from any harmful TikTok challenges.
