In Belgium, it is stated that there has been a significant increase in the number of videos mocking teachers on the social networking platform Tik Tok.
The police cannot take any action regarding these videos. Teachers’ organizations apply to the government and demand legal regulation on this issue.
According to the government, these videos undermine the public’s respect for teachers.
According to Belgian media, the already existing mentality of mocking teachers among students has become more common with social media.
Especially on Tik Tok, there is a serious increase in the number of videos mocking teachers. According to the Nieuwsblad newspaper, some teachers feel uncomfortable and stay at home because of posts that make fun of them.
Many teachers have contacted the police regarding the so-called “Tik Tok bullying” videos that contain humiliation and ridicule. However, since there is no local regulation on this issue, it is stated that the police cannot intervene.
According to teacher organizations, the sharing of minors cannot be adequately interfered with in Tik Tok.
According to studies, Tik Tok bullying towards teachers is most common among first-year secondary school students. During the coronavirus epidemic, children who integrate with mobile phones and computers during distance education continue to maintain this habit after they return to school.
His students do not fully understand that they need to stay away from the internet and follow social rules.
Also, peer pressure in the classroom encourages participation in digital bullying.
A Flemish teacher says she filed a complaint for “fraud and defamation and humiliation” because of the videos about her. However, the police advised him to report the problem to TikTok, saying, “Sorry, the law protects minors. We can’t just question them.”
“I hear the same stories very often from my colleagues,” says the Belgian teacher.
According to the teachers, many of their colleagues are also unaware of the videos that make fun of them on TikTok because they have never watched that platform.
For this reason, teachers who applied to the government called for the preparation of a legal regulation on this issue in Belgium as well as in England.
The UK Department of Education is working on a regulation on Tik Tok bullying.
Ben Weyts, Minister of Education of the Flemish government, points out that young people mocking teachers on social media causes a decrease in respect for teachers in society.
According to Weyts, the biggest responsibility in this regard falls on the parents. Emphasizing the need for a social trend break, the Flemish official thinks, “With an edit, a manual, or an angry letter to Tik Tok, a lack of respect cannot be magically removed.”