Schools in Israel, the UK, and the US are urging parents to remove social media applications from their children’s devices due to concerns that Hamas militants may share distressing hostage videos captured recently.
A Tel Aviv school’s parent association expressed their anticipation of videos depicting hostages “pleading for their lives” appearing on social media.
In a message shared with CNN by a Tel Aviv high school parent, the association requested the removal of apps like TikTok from children’s phones, emphasizing the need to shield kids from such content that’s difficult, if not impossible, to control on social media.
Hamas has issued warnings about sharing hostage murders on social media in response to Israeli actions in Gaza.
There are also fears that terrorists might exploit social media algorithms to target such videos specifically to the followers of Jewish or Israeli influencers, with the aim of psychological warfare against Israelis, Jews, and their global supporters.
During an attack on Saturday, Hamas militants breached Israel’s fortified border, taking numerous hostages, including Israeli army officers, into Gaza. The sudden assaults caused a reported 1,200 casualties, according to the Israel Defense Forces, and left thousands wounded.
In Gaza, where Israel initiated airstrikes, over 1,055 individuals, including many children, women, and entire families, have been killed, with 5,184 injured as of Wednesday, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
In the ongoing conflict, some Jewish schools in the US and UK are also advising parents not to share related videos or images and to prevent children from viewing them. These schools are also suggesting community members delete their social media apps temporarily.
Certain social media platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), did not respond immediately to inquiries about their actions to combat the surge in video sharing online.
However, X noted an increase in daily active users in conflict areas and mentioned that its escalation teams have taken action on tens of thousands of posts containing graphic content, violent speech, and hateful conduct.
They also indicated proactive monitoring for antisemitic speech and removing accounts attempting to manipulate trending topics.
