Smartschoolboy9 ‘fan art’ is spreading across TikTok and it needs to stop
InstagramAs the smartschoolboy9 saga reaches new audiences, a worrying trend has emerged over on TikTok, where fan art of the controversial individual is proliferating. Before we get into it, be warned: some may find this content distressing.
Last week, YouTuber Nick Crowley dropped a new documentary titled ‘smartschoolboy9: An Internet Rabbit Hole’, and it’s since gone viral, leaving more than 3.5 million viewers disturbed.
But the online mystery really took off in April, when a concerned Redditor shared screenshots of various Instagram accounts posting uncanny, edited images of children. And all of them led to one person: smartschoolboy9, an adult who dresses up in a school uniform.
Since then, a subreddit has emerged, filled with unsettling anecdotes about the man believed to be 59-year-old David Alter. While none of the claims have been verified, his posts, some of which include photos or videos of real children, are undoubtedly alarming.
TikTokers are making Drake schoolboy9 fan art and edits
Since the smartschoolboy9 documentary went viral, on one corner of the internet, TikTokers have started making fan art and edits in his style, including truth_sticks_11, another account believed to belong to Alter.
The truth_sticks_11 Instagram page started in 2021, sharing snaps of what appears to be a 12-year-old boy. But over time, the images became more heavily edited and unsettling, showing the child with an eerie smile, red lips, cartoonish blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and no eyebrows.
InstagramOne TikTok users has attempted to replicate the look, posting a clip of them “drawing Drake in schoolboy9’s style.” Alongside this, they wrote, “Beautiful young boy,” and the caption, “Mommy a smartschoolboy9 behind YOU.”
Bizarrely, this isn’t the only truth_sticks_11-style edit of Drake, with another page sharing a similar clip set to Clean Bandit’s ‘Symphony’, with the words, “Very smart Drakey,” appearing across the video.
Another post shows a fan edit with imagery of Stefanie, a fictitious 12-year-old aspiring poet believed to be an alias of smartschoolboy9’s. The video, subtitled ‘Stefanie SCHOOLIE’, features ‘Sophie’ by XTC Acid alongside a voiceover saying, “I’m Stefanie, hi.”
There are also numerous smartschoolboy9 images of female pupils, as well as drawings of legs with high-heeled shoes on – a common theme across his accounts.
One fan edit shows an image of Alter himself, only the TikToker has added graphics of a wand and sparkles, backed to the Trolls track ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’. Alongside this, the caption reads, “I have my miniboots.”
These are just a few examples of the TikToks emerging since the case went viral, all of them posted within the past 24 hours.
While the content itself is concerning, normalizing and reinforcing harmful content while undermining efforts to address the issue at hand, the posts have also received dozens of lighthearted comments.
“Stefanie schoolie STIMBOARD,” said one, while another said, “I’m Stefanie SCHOOLIE, one of the youth summer CAMP.” A third added, “smartschoolboy9 would definitely post this.”
“Where are the heeled miniboots?” asked one under the Drake edit, and another said, “Crop, I need it for PFP.”
Followers of the case condemn fan edits
This trend has left other spectators feeling concerned. Taking to the schoolboy9 subreddit, one shared screenshots of the Drake TikTok, writing, “The f**k is wrong with people.
“Can we talk about how this sick f**king person who is preying on children is somehow being turned into a meme? Are many of the people who heard about this genuinely single-celled organism?”
“It should’ve never reached TikTok,” said one in response to the post, while another wrote, “Wtf is wrong with people? Like making jokes and fan pages about this is just straight up WRONG.”
A third added, “Exactly, but literally nowadays most people fantasize and joke and take everything unserious now. Someone just made a whole fan page for this dude. It’s sick.”
Some TikTokers have questioned the videos in the comments sections, including this person who said, “This man (allegedly) ran after a kid and we’re talking about putting smb in his ‘style’.”
“Can we not do this about an actual predator that’s being investigated by the police??” asked another.
It’s important to note that Crowley’s YouTube doc warns viewers to avoid making contact with the man discussed in the video, emphasizing, “I do not condone harassment of any kind.”
The same principle should be applied to these TikTok pages. While creating fan art in this context is troubling, harassment is not the solution and addressing the issue through appropriate channels is crucial to ensuring safety online.
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