‘Cat in the Hat’ TikTok Trend: How School Safety Leaders Are Responding

ditor’s note: This article was originally published Sept. 8 and updated Sept. 11, 2026, to include school safety bulletins shared by NCSSD members and member organizations.

A viral social media trend involving AI-generated images and videos of the Cat in the Hat is prompting school threat investigations, heightened police presence, school closures, student discipline, and arrests across the country.

The trend typically features a menacing version of the Dr. Seuss character in AI-generated or manipulated images and videos, sometimes appearing near schools or in neighborhoods. Some posts name specific schools, communities, or students or include language suggesting the character is "coming" to a particular location.

Reports connected to the trend have surfaced in numerous states, including Kentucky, Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, Texas, and others.

In Louisville, Ky., Assumption High School canceled classes after threatening social media posts connected to the trend. Louisville Metro Police said there was no credible threat associated with the posts but that its Homeland Security Unit was reviewing the incidents and investigating their origins.

In Ohio, several school districts were named in a TikTok video stating, "I'm coming for you." Police identified an eighth grade student as the person who created the account, and the student faced school discipline and possible criminal charges. In a separate incident, two students were arrested after creating a similar video. Although the threat was not considered credible, the students were removed from school and faced charges of inducing panic and menacing.

A Tennessee high school student has also been charged following an investigation into an online threat involving an AI-generated Cat in the Hat image. In Virginia, authorities increased police presence at Mechanicsville High School while investigators worked to identify the person behind an account referencing the school.

Schools in South Mississippi have also been named in posts, although officials said no credible threat had been identified.

In Florida, St. Johns County School District officials said several schools were affected by the trend and worked with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Education to review the AI-generated content. Officials said they had identified no credible direct or indirect threats, but the sheriff's office increased its presence at campuses across the district as a precaution.

NCSSD Members Report Cat in the Hat Incidents

The trend has also surfaced in districts represented by members of the National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD).

An NCSSD member recently asked colleagues whether they had encountered the trend and how their districts were responding from school safety, disciplinary, and law enforcement perspectives.

School safety leaders in several states reported incidents in their own or nearby districts. One member said his district had encountered two incidents. In the first, a K-6 student reposted an image that mentioned one of the district's schools but did not name any individuals. The student was suspended, but no charges were filed.

In the second, a high school student reposted an image appearing in front of the school. The member said the student deleted the post after realizing what the trend involved and later self-reported what she had done.

Another NCSSD member reported an incident at a California middle school in which a post named students and teachers and warned seventh graders to "watch their backs." School resource officers were involved while the incident was investigated. Officials identified the student responsible, who told them he had intended to troll his friends. The school handled the matter through its disciplinary process, and no law enforcement action was taken.

In another district, a student created a post that named several students and included what the NCSSD member described as an actual threat. Law enforcement became involved.

How NCSSD Members Say Their Districts Are Responding

Several NCSSD members said their districts handle posts associated with the trend the same way they handle other social media threats. A Maryland school safety leader said social media threats are reported to law enforcement and investigated in coordination with police. If a student is identified as responsible, the district follows its disciplinary process and provides due process. Whether criminal charges are filed is a law enforcement decision.

Members whose districts had not yet experienced an incident also reported notifying SROs and law enforcement partners about the trend. Others said state-level agencies had begun circulating information, including Michigan's Office of School Safety and the Illinois State Police Intelligence Center.

Kent ISD Shares Situational Awareness Bulletin

An NCSSD member with Michigan's Kent Intermediate School District shared a situational awareness bulletin developed by the district on the trend. Kent ISD assessed the disruption risk associated with the trend as high but the direct violence risk as low, while noting that accounts operating under the trend's branding have named individual students and schools, turning a viral scare meme into a reportable threat.

The bulletin also documented an Aug. 28 incident involving Constantine High School in which an account named several students as "next" and included statements and images suggesting violence. Local police investigated with Michigan State Police and the FBI, while the district temporarily increased security measures. Authorities ultimately reported no reason to believe there was an imminent threat.

One District Warns Students About Potential Consequences

One NCSSD district that had already encountered the trend took the additional step of addressing it directly with students. A law enforcement officer made an announcement at the beginning of the school day explaining the trend and warning students about potential school disciplinary consequences and criminal charges associated with threatening social media posts.

According to the NCSSD member, the announcement came after the district had dealt with an incident involving a younger student.

Law Enforcement Urges Students to Report Posts Rather Than Share Them

Law enforcement agencies responding to the trend have also urged students and families to report concerning posts without continuing to circulate them.

In South Mississippi, officials advised families to report the posts rather than help spread them. Law enforcement agencies investigating similar incidents have asked recipients to preserve information such as screenshots that may assist investigators.

The incidents are another example of how generative AI can complicate schools' response to online threats by making it easier to create and rapidly distribute convincing manipulated content. For more reporting, research, and resources on AI-related school safety issues, visit School Security Leadership's Topic Hub: AI in School Safety.