Israeli parents have reportedly been warned to keep their kids away from social media apps, lest their children stumble on Hamas’ hostage videos.
According to various sources, several Israeli schools have issued notices to parents warning them that Hamas intends to use social media apps to upload videos of hostages begging for their lives.
“Dear Parents, It has been brought to our attention that videos of hostages begging for their lives will soon be released. Please remove the @TikTok and @instagram apps from your children’s mobile phones,” one such notice reportedly reads.
The following message is being sent to Israeli parents from their children’s schools:
Dear Parents,
It has been brought to our attention that videos of hostages begging for their lives will soon be released.
Please remove the @TikTok and @instagram apps from your children’s…— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 10, 2023
Jewish schools in the U.S. have begun doing the same.
“The Frisch School, a Modern Orthodox school in Paramus, New Jersey, sent a similar message to its community, also warning of possible hostage videos,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
“Local psychologists have reached out to us and informed us that the Israeli government is urging parents to tell their children to delete Instagram and TikTok immediately. We strongly advise our students to do the same as soon as possible” the school’s principal, Rabbi Eli Ciner, wrote in an email sent Tuesday morning.
The Hannah Senesh Community Day School in Brooklyn reportedly also issued a notice to parents.
“While we understand that we cannot fully prevent our students from viewing images that might appear on their phones, we strongly encourage parents to cultivate honest and open communication with your children about this possibility, monitor their social media usage, and discuss how to avoid opening these videos and what to do should they encounter such media,” an email from the school reads.
“We also ask that parents strongly consider asking their children to delete these apps, at least for the time being,” it continues.
Messages from the Jewish high school I attended and our local Jewish Community Center suggesting parents delete X, Instagram and TikTok because of the “graphic and misleading information” on these platforms. pic.twitter.com/sc3yoH886A
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) October 10, 2023
Forbes notes that all this comes after a Hamas spokesperson “warned that the organization will post murders of civilians it has captured if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.”
“In addition to at least 150 Israelis who were kidnapped, at least 20 missing Americans may be among the hostages taken by Hamas, the White House said Tuesday. The U.S. government has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization and several of its members as terrorists,” according to Forbes.
Some congressional Republicans have responded by calling on all social media networks to take action.
“The unprovoked attack by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists in Israel is horrific and unthinkable. The brutality of these monsters is pure evil and they want to extend the reach of their terror by sharing it on social media. That cannot be allowed to happen. Israelis have been murdered and wounded in the thousands. At least 11 Americans are dead. We’ve seen reports of babies savagely beheaded. Children shot in front of their parents. The elderly dragged through the streets. Now Iran-backed Hamas wants to inflict more terror by sharing videos of hostages begging for their lives in Gaza,” Sen. Rick Scott said in a statement.
“Social media companies MUST take action. TikTok, Instagram (Meta), X and every other social media platform have an obligation to stop these terrorists from distributing posts containing violence and murder and collecting financial support for their terror operations. This content must be immediately removed and all associated accounts be permanently banned. Anyone financially supporting these terrorists, which is against federal law, must be immediately reported to authorities. These videos are terrorism, plain and simple, meant to instill fear and create chaos in the global community—and no company should give terrorism a voice on their platform,” he added.
Iran-backed Hamas wants to inflict even more terror by sharing videos of hostages begging for their lives in Gaza.
TikTok, Instagram, X & every other social media platform must take action to stop this NOW. https://t.co/gvEPzhGllv
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) October 10, 2023
X (formerly known as Twitter) has reportedly done its part by removing “hundreds” of Hamas-affiliated accounts and by having “actioned tens of thousands of posts for sharing graphic media, violent speech, and hateful conduct.”
In the past couple of days, we’ve seen an increase in daily active users on @X in the conflict area, plus there have been more than 50 million posts globally focusing on the weekend’s terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
As the events continue to unfold rapidly, a cross-company…
— Safety (@Safety) October 10, 2023
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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