Modern warfare like the devastating attacks on Israel by the terror group Hamas has an equally modern tool: social media. It has proven to be an especially devastating and effective when it comes to spreading disinformation: for instance, one recent TikTok video purported to show a ruthless Israeli attack on Palestine, but it was soon proven to actually be video game footage. This is bad enough, but now there is concern that social media is also being used to show truly terrifying videos of Israeli hostages begging for their lives.
According to CNN, earlier this week a Tel Aviv school sent a message to the parents asking them to delete apps like Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) from their phones, and it was soon echoed by schools in the U.S. and the U.K. The message said, in part, “We cannot allow our kids to watch this stuff. It is also difficult, furthermore – impossible – to contain all this content on social media. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”
News Not Noise founder Jessica Yellin also posted an email from an American school on her Instagram account, which says:
Dear Students and Parents, 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 Tik Tok immediately. We strongly advise our students to do the same as soon as possible. Terrorists are expected to release distressing videos of hostages begging for their lives. People who follow Jewish or Israeli influencers may stumble upon them. As one Israeli psychologist noted, ‘The videos and testimonies we are currently exposed to are bigger and crueler than our souls can contain.'”