There are many times in life when things are funny and a joke until they’re not, and the uptick in doxing/swatting along with hoax social media threats may seem like an innocent prank on the surface, but it’s really not.
Unfortunately creating chaos isn’t going to be funny and secure a cool position in the yearbook but instead make you look goofy and, in the worst case scenario, end up in jail/prison.
An article published 2 days ago (8/6/25) by WTAJ in Pennsylvania covers this topic perfectly and they bring up good points, including this:
“A hoax threat of violence, whether it be spoken, written, posted online or shared on social media, is a criminal act where a student can face serious consequences that can, in turn, have impacts on their future. Even if the threat was meant to be a joke, hoax threats can lead to the expulsion or suspension of a student, and in some cases, arrest and imprisonment.”
And going back in time, after reviewing hundreds of social media threats against schools that we’ve researched and still have data on, the behaviors today follow suit yet are becoming more extreme in some ways. A topic we’ll be expounding on soon.