AMID rising threats of violence between London teenagers, here we reveal the key slang words every parent must have on their radar.
Just days ago, the hit headlines after a post instructed pupils to ‘be violent’ and bring sharp objects to a fight at a local .
The Red vs Blue School Wars has caused fear amongst parents after a TikTok post instructed pupils to ‘be violent’Credit: Tik Tok
Another post urged kids to bring their ‘best’ weapons to the fightsCredit: UKNIP
Dressed in red and blue, two male figures in balaclavas were pictured side by side like boxers under the title: ‘(Years 7-11).’
In another online post, a message urged: “”, as the text below added: “If you see an opp smack them up badly.”
After first emerging in in mid-February, the trend gathered momentum all over the country, splitting schools into “Red vs Blue” zones – leaving terrified by pending .
One post told youngsters to “punch up an opp”, while another said, “Bring your best”, alongside images of scissors, a school ruler, a knife, a compass, a comb and fireworks.
Since then, such ‘wars’ have quickly spread to other boroughs including Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Croydon and Harrow.
The number of schools taking part is believed to have increased 10-fold, currently totalling 58.
Many schools, including those not mentioned in such , have sent out letters to parents alerting them to concerns.
have been told to pick their children up directly from school , but also to remain aware of their children’s movements, both on and offline.
Mum Nikki Knight, whose 15-year-old son , told The Sun: “This is the reason why we need to have more controls over social media when it comes to our children.
“It’s an example of knife being glamorised yet again.”
According to commander Neerav Patel, online spaces are being monitored and requests have been made to disable numerous social media accounts “where threats or violence were planned or encouraged.”
Meanwhile, a school source said: “Police are trying to reassure the community but lots of parents are keeping their teens at home because their children are petrified about what’s going on.”
Nikki Knight, mum of murdered teen Mason Rist, said viral posts glamorising violence show why tougher social media controls are neededCredit: SWNS
As a result of violent conversations appearing online, understanding the being used is more important than ever.
Knowing the sayings and what they mean can be a vital tool in spotting if your .
To ensure you stay in the know and , we’ve done a deep dive and found the violent slang words kids are currently using that every parent should know.
- Clash: An event where attendees are encouraged to bring sharp objects, such as compasses and metal combs.
- Opp: An abbreviated term for opposition, referring to a rival side or specific ‘enemy’.
- Opp block: A rival gang’s territory, whether that’s a specific place, postcode or broader area.
- Beef: A dispute, feud or conflict.
- Duck down: To stab someone with a knife.
- Bang: To physically assault someone by hitting or beating.
- Jug: To steal from someone.
- Stain: Can have two meanings – either referring to a robbery, or a target or victim.
- Tag: To run after and physically attack someone.
- Lacking: Unaware or without backup and is often used in the phrase ‘to catch someone lacking’.
- Jump: To attack or ambush someone.
But despite spiralling fears amongst many, there has also been conversation that .
According to some posts, the “top” school that won the most battles would be announced last Friday – but thankfully, Friday came and went without any disturbance.
Not only this, but last Sunday, The Sun revealed that the viral posts were part .
Dr Abdullahi Arabo, an associate professor of cyber science and network security at the University of the West of England, analysed the content to determine how much AI was involved.
More on the Red vs Blue School Wars craze
In response to the Red vs Blue School Wars social media posts, the Met launched Operation Cedarfield to shut down gang clashes between schools, while forces across the country have been put on high alert.
Avon and Police said it was in contact with schools across Bristol and South Gloucestershire and had put on “reassurance patrols”.
A police source told The Sun: “Now there’s been publicity about the fights, a lot of posts are disappearing, but the worry is it’s now being organised underground.”
The trend raised concern over knife crime among children, with ”.
Labour pledged to launch a consultation into a ban on social media for under-16s, but it is yet to get under way.
Tory Shadow Education Secretary slammed the PM for failing to impose a ban.
She added: “It shows why we must get children off social media now. We are still waiting for Labour’s so-called urgent consultation to decide whether they even want to act.
“Childhood cannot be sacrificed to another round of hollow process.”
We contacted Snapchat about the posts and a spokesman told us: “Our community guidelines prohibit expressing support for violence or encouraging violence against anyone.
“These content guidelines go further to prohibit even ambiguous support for violence. We work to remove such content.”
Meanwhile, said it had been removing content relating to the school fights and had been working with Met police. It added that it has removed all search terms relating to the “school wars”.
He told us: “The background artwork is likely AI-generated or AI-assisted, while the text layout has been manually added and edited using design software to make the final poster appear more authentic or credible.
“The use of fire and ice colour themes, ornate, patterned borders and very high contrast between colour zones are common features of AI-generated artwork.
“All wording appears accurate and deliberate, strongly suggesting that the text was added manually.”
At the same time, London youth advocate , given an OBE in 2012 for his work in steering kids away from , said: “It’s alarming how far and fast it’s spreading.”
He added: “This is why we may need to rethink limitations on social media. It’s a great way for kids to connect to each other but things like this are frightening.
“We don’t know if it maybe started as a joke but kids are really good at AI and know how to make things like this go viral.
“We have vulnerable children who are facing real trauma, worrying they might get caught up in this. Innocent kids who have real fear.”
There have been talks of the school wars being a hoax, but there are 11 slang words parents should be aware of regardlessCredit: UKNIP
“Opp” and “bang” have been used countless timesCredit: Getty
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
