Dad learns teacher puts son in his TikTok videos, teacher says, 'it's normal now.' AITA?
"AITA for telling my son's teacher that my son can't give consent to appear in his TikTok videos?"
ProfessionalDepth995
My son is a 6th grader and his math teacher uses a lot of videos. They did a class project on geometry where groups of students did shorts on geometry. They watched it and then the teacher posted it on the school website as well as his personal TikTok page.
I understand social media is popular with kids and it's not going anywhere so you might as well try to moderate it like junk food, but I began to wonder if this was a personal project for the teacher rather than a class project. I would probably be okay if this was strictly a class thing if my son was okay.
After wrestling with it, I spoke to my son and said I'm fine with you being in class videos but I'm not okay with you being on Mr. J's personal TikTok page without my permission. My son said that he told Mr. J it was okay.
That made me laugh. I said, you can't even be trusted to shower every day, let alone decide when you can appear on someone's TikTok page.
So, I sent an email to Mr. J telling him what I thought and my stance. He replied that I gave consent when I signed his classroom agreement that he uses videos and pictures of his students and no parent has ever complained. Plus his TikTok page is also his "class" TikTok page because, "you realize no one has watched YouTube since 2017."
He said he's not hiding anything and this is what teachers do to make dense subject material interesting. Then he thanked me for being a concerned "Daddy" as a backhanded insult.
I replied that none of my son's other five teachers are doing what he's doing and that it is probably because they don't have time to play on TikTok. But that's okay. I expect my son to be a math whiz and we will check in later.
Here were the top rated comments from readers:
PsionicOverlord
NTA. You're absolutely right - you did not consent to images of your son being put up online, especially not given that it would be very easy for a person to figure out his actual location from those videos.
Consent for filming is not consent for distribution. I have no idea why this person feels the need to put his class on the internet but it is deeply suspicious. There is absolutely no benefit to that stuff being on TikTok but an awful lot of potential problems.
DisturbedSoul420
I'd email the principal with both e-mails attached and explain what's Not Gonna Be Happening Anymore.
BoujeeBarb1e
This 💯.. I would have gone straight to the principal . If the teacher is using his students in his TikToks that’s a massive privacy violation.
oaksandpines1776
NTA. You did not give consent for TikTok. You can also revoke permission for filming at any time. I would forward the email to principal and de.and it be stopped immediately.
Poota4eva
Question: in this agreement you signed did it say that pictures and videos would be put online? Did is specify that they would go on to TikTok?
It's one thing to put it up on the school website for other patters to see and decide that's the school they want their kids to attend, it's another when it's TikTok.
NTA any TikToks I've seen about teachers and pupils, never have the students shown as it can cause a lot of agro and the teachers are smart enough to know this. This teacher does not sound smart to me. Sounds like he wants to be "down with the kids."
I would do like someone else suggested, revoke your permission by email cc'ing the headmaster/principal and telling them you don't approve of them being on TikTok. Good luck.
The OP responded here:
ProfessionalDepth995
It said in fine print that videos or photos may be used for school promotion which I would assume would mean the school website or class website. All of which I couldn't care less. But a TikTok page that looks half school and half personal is pushing it.
Shakith
NTA, permission to take and use photos and videos for the classroom is not a blanket permission to do what ever you want with those. I’d get fired if I posted pics of the kids I work with on social media! I also would be SUPER p*ssed if I found out one of my own kids was being put on social media because I “gave permission for photos and videos”.