How the 'red v blue school wars' exposed the social media gap between children and parents

"The prompt was concern over a series of social media posts that called for 'red v blue' wars between schools across the city. The posters began encouraging battles between students in the capital and seemed to begin circulating on TikTok and Snapchat. Copycat versions were subsequently shared about schools in Bristol, Cardiff and the West Midlands."

"In theory, fights were due to happen in south London that afternoon, hence the presence of teachers and police. Only, the fights didn't happen - for their part, the Metropolitan Police say no actual violent incidents related to the posters have been reported."

"Notably - from tracking down some of the original posts and speaking to people within the social media companies - there appears to have been only a modest reaction among young people when the posts first appeared. Instead, the real interest began after it started being shared across parent WhatsApp groups."

On February 27th, schools in Southwark and Croydon implemented heightened security measures after social media posts on TikTok and Snapchat called for 'red v blue' wars between schools. Teachers positioned themselves outside schools, detentions were cancelled, and police deployed dispersal orders. The posters featured images of people in balaclavas and weapons, with school names listed on each side. Similar posts appeared in Bristol, Cardiff, and the West Midlands. However, no violent incidents occurred. Investigation revealed that initial youth engagement with the posts was modest. The viral spread and heightened concern primarily resulted from sharing within parent WhatsApp groups rather than organic youth participation.

Read at www.bbc.com