SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — The Salem Police Department is asking for the public’s help in reporting anybody who has engaged in the latest TikTok challenge.
Police say the challenge — which has taken place over the past two weeks — has people being shot with a SplatRBall Guns or Air Soft BBs.
According to authorities, SplatRBall guns and other Air Soft guns are legal to have, but using the gun to point it out the window of a car and shooting people is considered a serious crime.
In a Facebook post on the department’s page, they want parents to talk to their children who participate in these TikTok challenges.
If you have any information about these incidents, you are asked to call the Salem Police Department at 540-373-3078.
Also, these TikTok challenges have created a nationwide investigation. Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Twitter he was joining the investigation into TikTok and the impacts these challenges have on mental and physical health for children and young adults.
On Wednesday, March 2, Miyares joined attorneys general nationwide to determine if the company violated state consumer protection laws and put the public at risk.
“Virginia has officially joined a bipartisan, nationwide investigation into TikTok’s platform and its effect on the mental and physical health of kids and young people. Our children are in the midst of a mental health crisis, and the negative effects of social media platforms like TikTok on our youth have raised concerns for some time.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares
The investigation will look into the following:
- Techniques used by TikTok to boost young user engagement
- Increased duration of time spent on the platform
- Frequency of engagement with the platform
This isn’t the first time an investigation into a social media platform has been implemented. Back in May 2021, 44 attorneys general — including former Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring — urged Facebook not to launch a version of Instagram for children under 13. In November 2021, an investigation was launched into Meta Platforms, Inc. for promoting and providing Instagram to kids.
