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A craze on the video-based social media app has seen pupils making “derogatory comments” about their teachers. Dubbed “teacher-bashing”, it sees educators being falsely labelled as adulterers and paedophiles.

Unions have warned that the harmful video content was causing school staff to quit their jobs, while the videos have been reported to the police.

The trends sees pupils sharing video content of their teachers with hashtags, which allows users to search for different topics on TikTok.

The app utilises a recommendation algorithm, so if a user looked at the hashtag #paedo, the algorithm would then recommend the hashtag #paedoteacher.

Schools noted that TikTok wasn’t responding to requests to delete the accusations in a timely manner.

Due to the slow speed of the response from the company, parents were taking their children’s phones to the school so staff could carry out their own investigation, according to the Telegraph.

Teachers union NASUWT teachers union warned the trend was prompting teachers to quit their jobs.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said: “If there is any evidence that companies like TikTok are actively promoting or inciting the abuse of teachers, this is wholly unacceptable and urgent action must be taken immediately by the Government.

“There is simply no excuse for abuse of teachers whose lives are being ruined as a result of the posting of malicious content on these social media platforms.”

A slew of derogatory videos has been posted on the app, including from Cwmtawe Community School in Wales where police officers were called, following the creation of a slanderous meme that falsely suggested a teacher was an offender.

Gemma Morgan, the assistant headteacher of the school, located in the Swansea Valley, said the footage had been recorded despite the school’s mobile phone ban and was published on TikTok.

Referring to a request to delete the footage from the app, Ms Morgan noted that one of the reports from TikTok said they didn’t “deem the footage as bullying”.

She said instead the school was forced to launch their own investigation for the perpetrator and ask them to remove the footage.

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Students from Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire had also posted TikTok videos making similar false accusations.

The school’s headteacher Christopher Smith, issued a letter – written in partnership with council education chief Laura Mason – to parents, guardians and carers, commenting on the “upsetting” nature of the posts.

The letter asked recipients of the letter to check their children’s phones and monitor their social media accounts and their content.

Police Scotland had also been made aware of the “upsetting” content produced by students about the staff of the school.

Commenting on the issue, a TikTok spokesperson said: “We are crystal clear that hateful behaviour, bullying and harassment have no place on TikTok.”

The tech company then said it “regretted” the “abusive content” that was posted on the platform.

TikTok also said that it was “proactively” searching for such malicious allegations and that hundreds of pieces of content had already been taken down.

The company is also using new technology to better detect abusive material and is banning users where appropriate.

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