The “Devious Lick” TikTok challenge made its way to the public eye this September. Students around America have been seen posting videos about stealing various items from schools, including soap dispensers, clocks, and other items. According to People, the trend originated from a post on a single user's account. In the video, the user showed a box of disposable masks they claimed to have stolen from school. TikTok has condemned this trend, and the company actively takes down videos and photos supporting the challenge. According to CNN, when entering “Devious Lick” into a TikTok search bar, a message from the company appears:"No results found. This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok's top priority. For more information, we invite you to review our Community Guidelines."
In Boone County, Kentucky, eight students have been charged with vandalism and theft, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The students' actions, believed to have been inspired by the trend, caused Boone County schools to respond with a zero-tolerance approach. The statement made by the county to parents read, “Destruction of school property will result in school discipline being applied to the fullest extent, including paying restitution for property that has been damaged or destroyed and possibly being criminally charged by our local police or sheriff’s department.” Other schools around the nation have been releasing similar warnings to school students and parents in order to get in front of the trend.
Apex Friendship High, as many of its students now know, does not have immunity from the challenge and its consequences. Many bathrooms lack locks on stall doors and a few have broken sinks. Restrictions have been placed on bathroom usage in an effort to limit vandalism, such as signing out when going to the bathroom, only allowing one student at a time, and monitoring bathrooms. While many students resent the restrictions, most agree with the course of action. Lin Davis (11) states, “I don’t hate [the restrictions], but it has stopped me from going to the bathroom when I should. It gives me additional anxiety.”
According to Phyllis Fagell, school counselor and author of a middle school development help book, many students participate in the Devious Lick trend due to a desire to "establish where they fit in socially.” Fagell claims that many students, especially in middle and high school, have a need to fit in and make impulsive decisions in order to achieve acceptance. She attributes this motivation to science, saying that teenagers do not yet have a developed prefrontal cortex, which controls logical thinking. She warns that both students and parents should be on the lookout for dangerous and harmful trends such as the Devious Lick, and not succumb to peer pressure that accompanies them.
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