A viral social media trend has landed teens in trouble with police in at least two states as authorities warn students about threats to school safety. The so-called Cat in the Hat trend has spread across the country as young people share AI-generated content of someone wearing a costume of the famous Dr. Seuss character and appearing to be coming after people at their schools or homes.
Authorities in Kentucky and Colorado are among those to have cracked down on the trend. The Allen County-Scottsville Crime Task Force in Kentucky opened an investigation last Thursday after it said multiple local students reported receiving threatening messages through Snapchat and other social media platforms from someone who identified themselves as the “Cat in the Hat.” The task force said in a Facebook post Saturday that it had identified the minor behind a TikTok account involved in the investigation and that “the matter is being handled accordingly.” A minor linked to the “Cat in the Hat” videos targeting Allen County turned themselves in to police Saturday, WKRN reported. The Allen County-Scottsville task force told the news outlet that the minor faces criminal charges, but avoided harsher penalties.
It’s unclear whether this is the same minor that the task force referred to on Facebook. Last Friday, local police were made aware of a social media post referencing the “Cat in the Hat” trend on TikTok and suggesting someone may appear at a local middle school and at random houses. The 14-year-old was charged with Interference with Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions and Harassment and released to his parents.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
