A viral TikTok trend in which students record themselves vandalizing school property and post the videos online has reached the Glendora Unified School District, prompting administrators at two schools to temporarily close some restrooms during school hours.
The so-called Devious Licks challenge features students posting videos that show off items they have stolen or damaged. The challenge’s name derives from the slang term “hit a lick,” which means getting something of value quickly.
On Tuesday, Sept. 21, Sandburg Middle School parents were notified that a school bathroom was vandalized, with soap dispensers ripped off and bathrooms seats covered in red liquid, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Virginia Kelsen confirmed Thursday.
This comes after bathrooms at Glendora High School were vandalized last week, she said.
In a statement, Kelsen said Glendora Unified “has experienced an increase in vandalism on school property. We understand that this is connected to a trend known as ‘devious licks’ that has become popular on the TikTok social media platform.”
“Most notably, we have had items stolen or damaged in school restrooms,” she continued. “These items can be expensive to replace and create a challenging situation for our students and staff.”
While Kelsen gave no estimate on replacement costs, she said the schools have had to “temporarily close some restrooms while providing access to others as a means to ensure sufficient monitoring and everyone’s safety.” The restrooms are expected to be fully open Friday, she said.
Damaging or stealing school property may lead to “disciplinary action and, in some situations, students could face legal consequences,” Kelson wrote. The school district identified those responsible for the vandalism this week, she confirmed.
Meanwhile, Kelson said when Sandburg Middle School parents were notified of Tuesday’s incident, many wanted to know how they could help.
“What I’ve learned about the community of Glendora is how much they really care,” Kelson said. “Families wanted to donate soap dispensers and just help in any way they could.”
The TikTok trend has spread to schools nationwide, including throughout Southern California. As a result, many school districts are on high alert and taking preventative measures.
GUSD, along with Los Angeles Unified School District, Murrieta Valley Unified School District and Santa Ana Unified School District are among a few school districts in the region that have alerted parents about the trend and to monitor their children’s social media activity.
As of now, TikTok has said it has banned the challenge, redirecting hashtags and search results to its guidelines to discourage the behavior. Nonetheless, the Devious Licks hashtag already had more than 175 million views on the social media app.