Wood County Schools warns parents of scary ‘Cat in the Hat’ TikTok trend

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – School safety officials in Wood County are urging parents to talk to their children about an unsettling new social media trend designed to frighten young students.

Announcement

The online hoax, dubbed the “Cat in the Hat” trend, has surfaced on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. The scam involves automated, artificial intelligence-generated accounts using an avatar of Dr. Seuss’s famous character to message children.

According to safety directors, the automated accounts send menacing messages to students, often listing individuals they claim the character is “coming after” or sending highly specific details about the family’s home to make it appear as though someone is watching them.

While school officials emphasize that there are currently no active threats to students in Wood County, the trend has already impacted several neighboring West Virginia school districts.

“I first found out from other safety directors around the state,” said Jeremy Bell, Director of Safety and Security for Wood County Schools. “It ultimately hit a couple of different counties yesterday and last weekend. I wanted to be proactive, get ahead of it, and let parents know to talk to their kids.”

Bell reported that similar incidents have occurred in three or four other West Virginia counties. Ritchie County and nearby Mason County have both reported encounters with the automated trend.

By warning families early, Wood County school officials hope to prevent unnecessary panic within their classrooms while keeping students safe.

“We want to be very transparent in everything that we do,” Bell said. “We want to let parents know exactly what’s going on in our school system when it comes to safety and security. That’s my job, and we’ve got to make sure that these kids are safe. There are 11,000 kids in our school system, and we have to account for every single one of them.”

If a child receives a message or friend request from an account labeled “Cat in the Hat,” Bell advises them to immediately notify their parents. Parents are then encouraged to make an informed decision on who to contact next, whether that is local law enforcement or school officials.

While Bell could not offer technical advice on parental control applications, he emphasized that simply communicating with children about what they see online is the most effective defense.

“Communicate with your kids and just ask them questions about their phone,” Bell said. “Just be proactive in what you’re looking at on that phone and try to find out ultimately if there’s something that’s not safe. There’s a lot of things out there that are not safe.”

Parents who have questions or wish to report a suspicious social media interaction are encouraged to contact their child’s school principal, counselor, or the Wood County Schools board office directly.