Digital Smarts - TikTok Challenge Promotes School Vandalism

Schools nationwide are reporting that students are vandalizing and stealing items from schools as part of a new TikTok challenge. Videos have been popping up all over the platform showing kids stealing doors, signs, and even sinks from school property. In return, districts and principals are threatening to lock bathrooms and suspend or expel students caught "hitting devious licks" – as the trend is called. The problem has become so prevalent that TikTok released a statement saying it will ban these videos and stop users from accessing the tags associated with them. “We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities. We are removing this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior," a TikTok spokesperson said.