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The new school year has been caught up with an absurd new trend. Spreading under the denomination of “devious lick,” this craze has led students to destroy essential school facilities for 15-second TikTok videos. For many reasons, from lack of sanitation to criminal charges, devious licks may be the lowest point in student humor. 

The movement was initiated on September 1st when a user, @jugg4elias, posted a soon-to-be viral video of a stolen box containing disposable face masks. The individual captioned the video, “A month into school…absolutely devious lick.” Since this initial popular breakthrough, a collection of important school property has been subject to the damages of this challenge. From removing soap dispensers to mirrors to buses, a few students express their immature humor in harmful and illegal ways.  

Teens are stealing soap dispensers and urinals from school for the devious lick trend. Unfortunately, school bathrooms are among the worst places for students to dismantle and steal school property. Often unhygienic, bathrooms are infected with 77,000 types of bacteria. The increasing danger of COVID-19 infection from these unsanitary spaces may prove devious licks a health hazard for participating students. 

Students are often subject to criminal charges and hefty fines to replace broken items. For example, a single Chromebook costs $225 to replace. A hand sanitizer dispenser is $120, and with a refill bag, it is a total of $210. If a “Tik-Tok heist” includes a school toilet, $3,000 can be expected in fines which can place a substantial financial burden on the school if not returned. Suppose students are vandalizing schools with the goal of an easy way to gain publicity. In that case, devious licks fall far short of achieving it. And the possibility of punishment or reimbursement far outweighs the short-lived thrill of trend-following. 

Devious licks also prove to be detrimental to the school community because they render commonly used areas inaccessible. In lacking bathrooms, a school is helpless in accommodating over 2,000 students who rely on toilets daily. Other bathroom facilities are also crucial in maintaining student health. Soap dispensers and hand washing are essential to hygiene, especially amidst a pandemic. Devious licks are a hazard to school sanitation in making these resources unavailable to students. For just 15 seconds of childish horseplay, school property, hygiene, and safety are all put at risk.

Furthermore, schoolwide facilities are often shut down or closed for the majority of the day to prevent devious licks from occurring. In such scenarios, the number of open restrooms is significantly reduced while students are still on campus. As a result, the entire student population has to cram into the few available restrooms. As a result, students cannot use the restroom or sanitize when needed during the day, which may be hazardous to their health and increase their vulnerability to COVID-19. 

This new era of devious licks represents the rock bottom of student humor. While they may have begun as stupid pranks, devious licks have transformed into dangerous activities with few humorous aspects. What started as a joke has now declined into plain vandalism. It is destroying school communities and their property. May the students at UHS see the disastrous effects of devious licks and avoid participating in the fervor.