New Jersey mom says daughter, 12, doesn't want to go to school due to racist TikTok bullies
A mother in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, is calling for justice as she pleads with TikTok and her daughter's school district to do something about the alleged racist comments her child endured. One of the shocking comments was reportedly "pick my cotton".
The 12-year-old is said to be "scared" to go back to school in-person. The child's mother took to Twitter to post screenshots of the horrifying comments her daughter had reportedly received and also filed a complaint in hopes that the users would be reprimanded.
READ MORE
Folarin is the mother of the 7th grader who was a victim of these vicious racist comments. She told dailyvoice.com, “I couldn’t understand why. She is well-liked and intelligent. It didn’t make sense.”
The publication reported that Folarin could not figure out why her daughter was "resisting" going back to school. It was later that the 12-year-old showed her mother screenshots of "racist comments" that were left under her TikTok video. In the footage, the child is seen dancing with her three male friends from the same school, Elmwood Park Memorial Middle School.
The shocked mother took to Twitter to voice her frustration on the matter along with screenshots of the comments.
According to reports, Elmwood Park detectives began investigating the comments on Wednesday, March 24, and Folarin has also filed a complaint with the Elmwood Park Board of Education’s harassment, intimidation and bullying specialist.
"I’m very chill and laid back unless you bother me or mine – but especially when it comes to [her daughter]," she reportedly said. The mother isn't looking for the perpetrators to experience "severe punishment" but rather wants them reprimanded. "I’m more concerned with her [her daughters] safety right now," she added.
Folarin and her daughter seem very close-knit. Folarin also posted about the incident on her Instagram account writing a long caption that read, "my daughter has been a victim of harassment, intimidation and bullying on @tiktok. I wouldn’t make this a big deal if it was just social media HOWEVER, these kids attend her school. There are 5 male students involved 3 (pictured) and two are being threatened that if they don’t not take 'his side' he is bringing them down too."
She continued, "My daughter does not want to go to school bc she is fearful that they will continue to bother her. As a parent, this brings me to tears because I have endured racism in the same school district but with social media, it’s much different! I do not want my child to grow up with low self-esteem, self-image, or afraid to speak up because of situations like these."
Folarin added, "Please share this! If you heard the story of @mallorys_army then you’d know that cyberbullying was the cause of her daughter committing suicide. I come against anything that is unlike God, into my daughter’s life but I will not let this go."
The reason why her daughter didn't want to go to school in person is that she is reportedly afraid that the virtual harassment could "escalate". Her mother also revealed that her child has a friend of Indian descent who has also faced the brunt of comments about "terrorism".
"They have thousands of followers and they are using their platform to harass and intimidate kids," said Folarin. "My daughter once loved going to school, but these kids have made her hate it. She’s been crying since last night. It’s just not right.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been edited to remove any references to the social media accounts and images priorly used. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.
