CLEVELAND — Following the deadly weekend terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel, several school districts in Northeast Ohio are warning parents to closely monitor their child's social media access.
Specifically, the districts are concerned about videos that may be circulating on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram that show hostages pleading for their lives or other acts of cruelty and violence. School leaders are concerned that such
“Whether it’s on news stations, whether it’s through social media, I think we’d be naïve to think people don’t have exposure to that,” said Carl Brass, director of community services at Bellefaire JCB.
Many school districts attributed their warning to Bellefaire JCB, a child service agency with health counselors embedded in schools and communities. This week they notified schools of graphic and disturbing images circulating.
“It’s a very difficult time to be a parent or a caregiver and these are very sort of complex issues that they’re being faced with," Brass said. “I think it’s obviously very important as it always is that parents are cognizant of what their children are exposed to, that they are available to talk with them and to process that."
Beachwood Schools, Solon City Schools, Shaker Heights Schools, Twinsburg City Schools, and the Mandel Jewish Day School are among the school systems that have sent out social media alerts to parents and guardians, some even going so far as to ask parents to delete social media accounts.
“I would just want to validate that these are very difficult things to traverse,” Brass said. “I think it’s about keeping an open dialogue and trying to be mindful about what they’re exposed to.”
Here are excerpts of messages from some of those districts:
Beachwood
"Our community partner, Bellefaire JCB, is recommending that we advise parents to disable or, at minimum, monitor and discuss with children their use of social media at this time. Reportedly, Hamas terrorists may post violent, disturbing videos of the approximately 150 Israelis, Americans and others they took as captives. Children should not view those images, and there is no reliable way to avoid being exposed to them other than deleting your child's social media accounts on platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram. Disturbing videos may also be posted to YouTube -- please monitor your child's access to this platform as well."
Shaker Heights
"Our District supports all those families, students and staff members within our school community who may be directly impacted and have loved ones affected by the conflict. We believe schools must provide a safe space for all students and all members of our community to learn about and discuss world events.
"Families should be aware that graphic, disturbing images and videos may be broadcast on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Please be vigilant in monitoring your children’s access to social media to protect them from these pictures and images. We will be doing the same in our schools as well."
Mandel JDS
"In accordance with this information and guidance we have received from trauma experts, we strongly recommend temporarily disabling or closely monitoring your children’s access to these platforms on all of the devices they use. We want to ensure that our children (those in elementary and high school) are not inadvertently exposed to such distressing content. As one Israeli psychologist has noted, “The videos we are currently exposed to are bigger and crueler than our souls can contain.”
Solon
"Please carefully monitor your children’s access to their social media to protect them from these pictures and images. These videos are anticipated to be disturbing and could cause trauma.
"Many of our families are experiencing trauma and fear, and students may be struggling with understanding terrorism and the horror of the situation that has unfolded over the past few days. Our thoughts are with all of those impacted and we are here to support you. If your child needs support, please reach out to an administrator or counselor."
Some of the districts provided families with helpful resources to help children cope with the terrorist trauma. Here are the links:
Previous Reporting:
- As strikes devastate Gaza, Israel forms unity government to oversee war sparked by Hamas attack
- 'Akron Stands with Israel' event held amid terror attacks in Middle East
- Family therapist shares advice on how to talk with your kids about the Israel-Hamas war
- 'This is the Israeli version of 9/11': Cleveland Jewish community grapples with terror attacks in Middle East