Reported Snapchat threats drive Oklahoma district to cancel classes

Oktaha Public Schools in Oklahoma closed all classes Tuesday after a Snapchat group chat prompted fears of school violence, according to recent reports.

“According to the (Muskogee County) sheriff’s office, the initial information indicated possible threats of gun violence involving students who attend the school,” reported Griffin Media’s News on 6.

The district enrolls approximately 650 students in Oktaha, located in Muskogee County.

After law enforcement worked with education officials to verify the online information, the decision to cancel school occurred “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the article.

“The sheriff’s office said the safety of students, faculty and staff remains its highest priority.”

Past shootings lead to extra security measures

Last year a similar threat on Snapchat caused a police investigation in Sapulpa, a city in Tulsa and Creek counties.

“We have identified and made contact with the subject who made the threat,” the Sapulpa Police Department wrote in an Oct. 6 update to its original Facebook post, published at 9:45 p.m. Oct. 5. “We have determined it is NOT a credible threat and want to thank Snapchat and FBI for their assistance with this incident.”

Meanwhile, Sapulpa Middle School canceled classes Oct. 6, citing an abundance of caution as well.

“This incident comes less than two weeks after a shooting outside the high school led to increased security and concern for student safety,” the Sapulpa Times noted.

Social media companies have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, including multi-district litigation involving hundreds of plaintiffs alleging harm to students.

“The federal social media addiction litigation is about accountability for design choices — features intentionally engineered to target and addict young users,” said Matthew P. Bergman, founding attorney for the Social Media Victims Law Center.

Beyond threats of deadly gun violence, excessive social media use can contribute toward worsened mental health, addictive behaviors and suicidal thoughts, according to analysts.

“We’ve already seen what happens when juries hear the evidence,” Bergman concluded. “In Los Angeles, the KGM verdict held Meta and YouTube liable for addictive design features, and in New Mexico another jury found Meta’s products violate state law by harming kids’ mental health.”