- Schools told some Jewish parents to delete social media from their children’s phones as the Israel-Gaza war began.
- Warnings are circulating not only within Israel, but also in the US and UK. Some specifically target TikTok and Instagram.
Schools told some Jewish parents to delete social media from their children’s phones as the Israel-Gaza war began.
Warnings are circulating not only within Israel, but also in the US and UK. Some specifically target TikTok and Instagram.
Images of the killed civilians were shared on the internet.
“Local psychologists reached out to us and informed us that the Israeli government is urging parents to tell their children to delete Instagram and TikTok immediately,” the email sent by the schools said. It was said.
Another school in New York said it encouraged parents to monitor their social media use and “discuss how to avoid opening these videos and what to do if they encounter this type of media.”
Social media has been flooded with graphic and disturbing images and videos since the attacks began.
The Tel Aviv school’s parent association said the hostages said they were hopefully begging for their lives in the video.
“We can’t let our kids watch this stuff,” the parents wrote in a note. It is difficult or even impossible to host all this content on social media.” Wrote.
David Lange, director of Israeli advocacy group Israellycool, told the BBC that his daughter’s school forwarded the message on a parents’ WhatsApp group and encouraged parents to delete TikTok from their children’s phones.
This approach has been replicated by some schools in the UK. One of the country’s leading Jewish schools told the BBC that social media use is a “difficult and sensitive issue” because students use the platforms all the time.
Rather than an outright ban, they encouraged parents to talk to their children about the content they see.
“I think that’s always true, but it’s especially heartbreaking what they’re seeing right now,” the email said.
The UK’s technology secretary previously met with the bosses of social media companies Google, Meta,
Compiled by: Azra Şahin
