London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

TikTok school abuse: Teachers quitting over paedophile slurs

TikTok school abuse: Teachers quitting over paedophile slurs

Some teachers are leaving the profession after being labelled paedophiles on TikTok, a union says.

A craze on the social media app has seen children share videos of staff with inappropriate hashtags and comments and, sometimes, superimposing their faces onto pornography.

A Swansea Valley school said it called the police after staff were secretly filmed and labelled #paedo on the app.

TikTok said it had no place for hateful behaviour, bullying and harassment.

Gemma Morgan, assistant head teacher at Cwmtawe Community School, Pontardawe, said a fake school TikTok account had been set up.

'Very upsetting'


It contained edited videos of virtual parents' evenings and lessons, as well as covert filming of staff that had been uploaded and doctored.

"They had edited them, put hashtags over the top, they created memes… there were several hashtags with 'paedo'," she said.

Assistant head teacher Gemma Morgan said parents had been proactive and sought support to educate themselves


"Some members of staff had been filmed discreetly within classrooms."

She said there were "extremely derogatory comments" and "very bad language".

"In all honesty, things that were of great concern and we engaged with the local police."

The situation had been "very upsetting" for staff, she said.

"Especially for the families of these members of staff… it's a massive, massive concern."

"Quite cruel'


Helen Jones, head teacher at Maesteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, said footage of her teachers had been used to create memes, some of which had been "relatively innocent".

"But where they have been unpleasant it's been quite cruel and it's easy to be cruel when the account holder is anonymous," she said.

Helen Jones said she did not want to see children's behaviour criminalised


She said the "implication and nuances" of one meme suggested the teacher in question was a paedophile.

"Those sorts of things are causing great upset and distress," she said.

She said everyone had been exhausted by the pandemic and both staff and pupil absence was at an "all time high".

Neither school has excluded students but had focussed on educating pupils and parents.

"I don't think they realise the consequences of their actions, at the end of the day they're still children," said Ms Jones.

Neil Butler says parents must understand their children's behaviour could result in them being arrested


NASUWT's National Official for Wales Neil Butler said the craze was having a "huge detrimental impact on the wellbeing of teachers in schools across the UK".

"We have examples of teachers going off on sick, on stress, we have examples of teachers leaving the profession, which of course is the greatest worry - we can't afford to lose experienced teachers from the classroom," he said.

"It's the last straw really - it was bad enough what they had to go through during the pandemic.. and now [they're] having to face this."

He said he had seen one post encouraging pupils to hit a teacher.

"We will ensure that the full force of the law - if the law is broken - is brought to bear, because we have to protect our members," he said.

'Squalid and sorry affair'


Eithne Hughes, Cymru Director at ASCL union, said she had also seen examples of racial slurs and teachers accused of having affairs.

"It is just horrible nasty dreadful stuff," she said.

Eithne Hughes wants to see more action from TikTok


"Teachers are looking over their shoulders... it's been a very squalid and sorry affair.

"It's cruel and unnecessary and the profession should not have to put up with it frankly."

She said complaints to TikTok had been met in one of two ways: "No response at all, or that it does not violate TikTok's own protocols, which is extraordinary."

She said after talks with the company they still needed to do more: "We don't need nice words, we actually need some action," she said.

Mrs Morgan said TikTok had taken "a long time" for the videos to be taken down.

Ms Jones, said they had received "quite a quick response" from TikTok, adding it had had provided useful generic advice to the school's media marketing manager.

"I'm well aware of the lack of speed other schools have reported," she added.

A spokeswoman for TikTok said: "We are crystal clear that hateful behaviour, bullying and harassment have no place on TikTok.

"We regret the distress caused to some teachers as a result of abusive content posted to our platform."

She said the company had deployed additional technical measures and guidance and continued to "proactively detect and remove violative content and accounts".

She said the partner had partnered with the Professional Online Safety Helpline (POSH) to provide teachers with an additional way to report content and written to every school in the UK to ensure all staff had access to the resources they need.

Mr Butler said a letter has gone from his union's general secretary to the education minister of each UK nattion and called for action from the Welsh government

"I don't think any government is doing enough on this," he said.

'Completely unacceptable'


"The Welsh government has overarching control of education in Wales, it is becoming an extremely serious issue, so we would like now to see a more robust response from them to this issue."

The Welsh government said: "It is completely unacceptable that teachers are being targeted with abuse on social media."

It said it had asked TikTok to remove any instances of inappropriate or offensive content immediately and advise affected staff to report any instances directly to TikTok and contact POSH.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×