‘First Schoolboy 9 sighting’ since documentary emerges and it’s concerning
X/YouTubeWhile the viral smartschoolboy9 documentary has raised awareness on the issue like never before, it’s also sparked a worrying trend that’s reached new heights with the “first sighting” of the individual believed to be David Alter.
For the uninitiated, YouTuber Nick Crowley released a documentary titled ‘smartschoolboy9: An Internet Rabbit Hole’ two weeks ago, and it’s gone on to earn 8.2 million views at the time of writing.
The creepy YouTube doc centers on the online mystery surrounding a man from Doncaster, UK, who has been sharing fetish content on various social media platforms and accounts relating to children.
On his main account, he shared videos of himself dressed as a schoolboy, with one even showing him chasing a real child down the street.
While many spectators want to ensure this individual, believed to be 59-year-old David Alter, is no longer a threat, some are putting themselves at risk by DM’ing and interacting with him – there’s even been a rise in disturbing smartschoolboy9 “fan art”.
This reached new heights this week when a video emerged claiming to be the “first sighting” of the individual. A series of videos were uploaded to X/Twitter, showing what appears to be children throwing rocks through a person’s window.
Another clip shows the resident’s windows being boarded up. He can be seen interacting with the worker outside but he stays behind the door, only showing his hand.
Two boys with the camera can be heard saying, “No way, that’s him… schoolboy9. He’s hiding behind the door.” Another post, which we won’t share here, even includes the property’s address.
Since then, the main video has been shared on the smartschoolboy9 subreddit, where the poster wrote, “First sighting apparently.”
The thread has received dozens of comments, many of which believe the footage to be legit. “If it wasn’t him, surely he’d be curious as to why he’s getting filmed and called a schoolboy,” said one.
“If it wasn’t him, why is he hiding and speaking to the worker through a solid object? Surely you’d clear your name ASAP, if you were getting mistakenly identified as this geezer?”
Another wrote, “Not to seem gullible because I could be very wrong but if that’s not him why wouldn’t he come out?
YouTube/Instagram“And if he didn’t live there, surely the owners would put up online to leave his place alone but clearly they can’t because David would have to make a new believable account to tell us to leave the house alone.
“Only reason we think he’s moved is because of his London account. I can 70% bet he still lives there.”
“If that was a worker he would’ve shown himself,” added a third, while a fourth commented, “It does kinda look like his hand.”
Here’s the issue: while it’s true many people want to get to the bottom of this mystery and ensure the individual creating these accounts is brought to justice, it’s not safe for people to be interacting with him, especially children.
Also, as tech experts previously told Dexerto, this could lead to “severe” consequences – both ethically and legally.
One of the primary risks is spreading misinformation. If the homeowner isn’t smartschoolboy9, then these boys have just harassed an innocent individual.
Even if it is him, this behavior isn’t legal, and could end up hindering rather than helping any official police investigation.
A number of Redditors pointed out their concerns, with one writing, “‘Wassup school boy,’ WHY ARE THEY ACTING LIKE IT’S A FAN MEET UP.”
“I thought he didn’t live there anymore,” asked another, to which a third replied, “Take everything with a grain of salt on the internet, especially on this sub, literally no one knows.”
If you are concerned about smartschoolboy9, Max Williams, founder and CEO of chatbot marketing tool Herobot.app, said the “best course of action is to report it to the appropriate authorities rather than engaging in or encouraging public speculation.”
Alongside law enforcement, he pointed to Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms’ reporting mechanisms that should be utilized to flag content that violates their guidelines.
Read our full breakdown of the smartschoolboy9 investigation so far, and the Salad Fingers creator’s shocking memory of him. If it’s true crime you’re after, here are all the documentaries heading to streaming this month.