It is one of those internet rabbit holes that starts weird and ends up genuinely chilling. If you've spent any time on TikTok or Reddit lately, you’ve likely seen the blurry, high-contrast images of a man in a tight school uniform, face caked in white makeup, roaming the streets of South Yorkshire. People are obsessed. They want to know one thing: where is smartschoolboy9 right now and is he actually a threat?
The short answer is complicated. Tracking a "digital ghost" who thrives on multiple personas is hard enough, but when you add a massive viral witch hunt into the mix, finding the truth becomes almost impossible.
The Current Location of SmartSchoolBoy9
Right now, the individual most commonly identified as the person behind the SmartSchoolBoy9 accounts is believed to be living in the North of England. Specifically, investigators and online researchers have narrowed his long-term presence down to Doncaster.
He isn't in hiding in the traditional sense, but he has certainly retreated. After his photos and videos went nuclear on social media—largely thanks to deep-dive documentaries by YouTubers like Nick Crowley—the local community in Doncaster became acutely aware of his presence. There were reports of people spotting him in local parks and residential areas, often wearing the same disturbing schoolboy outfit that became his online trademark.
However, since late 2024 and moving into 2026, his physical sightings have dropped off significantly. This isn't surprising. When thousands of people online start doxxing your front door and throwing bricks through your windows (which actually happened at a property linked to him), you tend to stop going for strolls in a blazer and shorts.
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Who is David Alter?
You’ll see the name David Alter everywhere. It’s the name the internet has collectively assigned to him. While many sources, including reports from Byline Times, suggest this is the man, there is some nuance here.
Local records and interviews with people who grew up in the area suggest he’s a man in his late 50s who has struggled with mental health issues for decades. One woman, interviewed by journalists, recalled him following her home from school when she was just fifteen—all the way back in the early 1990s.
This isn't just a "new" internet freak-show. It’s a decades-long pattern of behavior.
- Age: Late 50s.
- Base of Operations: Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
- Status: Known to local authorities but not currently incarcerated.
- Mental Health: Previously sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
It's important to be real here: while the images are terrifying and the behavior is predatory in nature, the legal system moves differently than the "court of TikTok." As of the most recent updates, he hasn't been charged with a specific recent crime that would keep him behind bars, despite the massive safeguarding alerts issued by schools across the UK.
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Why the Internet is Terrified
The reason everyone is asking where is smartschoolboy9 right now isn't just because of the weird clothes. It’s the content. He wasn't just posting selfies; he was creating a vast, interconnected web of accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
He used AI to distort images of children. He left comments on actual children's posts, trying to "befriend" them under the guise of being a fellow student. It’s textbook grooming behavior masked by a surrealist, almost Lynchian aesthetic.
The police have been involved. South Yorkshire Police and other regional forces have received hundreds of reports. The difficulty for them—and the frustration for the public—is that "being weird" and "wearing a costume" isn't a crime. They need hard evidence of direct contact or illegal material.
Misinformation and the "Vigilante" Problem
Honestly, the hunt for this guy has become its own monster. People have started doxxing random houses in Doncaster and London, claiming he lives there. In one instance, an innocent resident had to deal with teenagers filming their front door because a "detective" on TikTok got the address wrong.
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Where is smartschoolboy9 right now? He's likely moved to a different address or is staying with the very few family members who still communicate with him. His sister has gone on record saying he is an adult who made his own choices and that she has moved on with her life.
The accounts have mostly been purged. Meta (Instagram/Facebook) finally took down the primary SmartSchoolBoy9 profiles after the public outcry became too loud to ignore. But like any internet cockroach, copycat accounts and archives keep popping up.
What You Should Actually Do
If you’re worried about this individual, the best thing to do isn't to join a Discord server dedicated to tracking him. That actually makes the police's job harder because it muddies the water with fake tips.
- Stop searching for the original videos. Many of them contain "distorted images" that are bordering on illegal content.
- Report, don't interact. If you see a new account that looks like his style—high-contrast, school uniform, "kiddy" captions—report it to the platform immediately.
- Talk to your kids. The real danger isn't a man in makeup in Doncaster; it's the fact that children might think these "creepypasta" characters are funny and try to find them online.
- Trust the authorities. While it feels like nothing is happening, safeguarding leads in UK schools are actively monitoring the situation.
The mystery of SmartSchoolBoy9 is a grim reminder that the "weird part of the internet" often has a very real, very human, and very disturbing physical address. Stay skeptical of the viral "sightings" you see on your For You Page—most of them are just people looking for clout.
For those tracking the legal side of things, keep an eye on official police statements from South Yorkshire. That is the only place you'll get a confirmed update on his status. Avoid the "TikTok detectives" who prioritize views over the safety of the community.
Actionable Steps for Online Safety
- Audit Privacy Settings: Ensure your child's Instagram and TikTok profiles are set to private and that they cannot receive DMs from people they don't follow.
- Identify "Code Red" Behavior: Teach children that any adult pretending to be a child online—even if they claim it's a "joke"—is a major red flag that requires an immediate block.
- Monitor "School Uniform" Tags: Since this individual specifically targeted tags related to UK school uniforms, be wary of any unknown accounts browsing or commenting on school-related photos.
- Report Misinformation: If you see a "live stream" claiming to have found him, report the stream for harassment or spreading false information to help stop the cycle of vigilantism.
Stay safe out there. The internet is a big place, but sometimes the real-world consequences are much closer than we think.