Mental health expert shares tips on talking to kids about school threats [Video]

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Within the past two weeks, the Hillsborough County School District reported it has been dealing with a rash of fake school threats—119 anonymous threats via the FortifyFL app and 62 fake threats on social media or via text message.

The stress of these threats can cause or worsen feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety in students.

That’s why ABC Action News sat down with Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein. She’s the co-director of the Center of Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

“This is a really challenging situation because these are real threats that our children experience, and they are potential things that could happen in our schools. The base rate of that is quite low but it is something where we want to be talking with our kids about what safety looks like at school, what the procedures are,” said Katzenstein.

She …