Recently, two TikTok accounts named “Mường Ảng town Secondary School” and “Ẳng Cang Secondary School” have continuously posted videos attacking each other. The account holders used derogatory language, discriminating between Kinh ethnic students and their ethnic minority peers, showing prejudice against language, customs, and even physical appearance. More alarmingly, the comments sections under these videos were filled with encouragement from other students, amplifying the negative content even further.

These types of videos often attract high viewership and interaction, which encourages creators to continue producing similar content. Initially just teasing or joking, the videos have gradually become public, direct, and openly inflammatory.

Remarkably, both schools were unaware of the existence of these TikTok accounts until the issue had already spread widely. Upon discovering the issue, the leadership of both schools promptly conducted reviews and verifications.

Phạm Xuân Tân, Principal of Mường Ảng town Secondary School, said: “After verification, we identified a seventh-grade male student as the person behind the TikTok account. This account was entirely self-created by the student and not an official school account. Currently, the school has asked the student to write a report, invited parents to a meeting, and will consider disciplinary actions regarding his conduct in the second semester.”

Ẳng Cang Secondary School also confirmed that the TikTok account spreading content was fake and unauthorized. A representative of the school management stated: “We have identified the students involved and will address the issue immediately on the afternoon of April 10. The school will also report the case to the commune police to protect the school's image and reputation.”

Creating fake social media accounts impersonating educational institutions - places responsible for teaching knowledge and ethics to hundreds of students - to ridicule or create conflict is not merely a matter of awareness but an action that may constitute a violation of law and goes against the spirit of national unity that society and schools strive to foster. Particularly as Điện Biên province is home to various ethnic minorities, nurturing a spirit of unity and equality is a continuous goal of the education sector. Therefore, any actions promoting division or insulting ethnic origin should be severely addressed as a deterrent example.

The fact that middle-school students, at a critical age for character formation, use discriminatory language demonstrates distorted awareness and a lack of online behavioral skills. If not corrected promptly, these misguided ideas can take root, negatively affecting their long-term social perceptions.

Every video or seemingly casual comment on social media can cause real harm in real life, affecting others' honor, hurting peers, and most importantly, eroding the fundamental values of educational environments. Cyberspace itself is not an issue but lies in how people use it. Allowing social media to become a tool for insults and ethnic discrimination risks losing an entire generation to a toxic virtual world.