On the recordOctober 25, 2021
last week, a Tennessee director of schools named Russell sent me an email about a problem he is having with some of his students. The so-called devious lick TikTok trend caught on in his district, and it is more than just a viral gag. The idea behind this devious lick TikTok trend is to destroy school property and document it on TikTok so that all the world can see--the more violent, the better. Here is how Russell described what is going on in his schools: In Cleveland City Schools, we have seen fire extinguishers stolen, mirrors removed from walls, a toilet was removed from its foundation, and multiple other acts of vandalism. I know of stories from other school districts, where even more serious types of vandalism and theft have taken place. He went on to tell me that this trend has caused thousands of dollars in damage, and that he has had to resort to threatening suspensions, court citations and other actions to deter students from demolishing school property--all from a TikTok video trend. I want to state for the record that this is absolutely insane. This is not normal teenage behavior. It is criminal activity, and these kids are posting it online thinking that they are building social media clout. TikTok banned the trending hashtag, but last night, it took a member of my staff about 10 seconds to unearth posts featuring students trashing their school bathrooms.…





