TikTok Made Me Do It

    The video opens on a typical school bathroom. At first, it’s just a view of the floor. Then the camera moves up, and you see it: total destruction. There’s a mirror sitting in the sink. One of the ceiling tiles is missing. Paper towel dispensers have been ripped from the walls. 

    What happened? The answer can be summed up in two words: devious licks.

    It all started back in September, with a TikTok of a kid stealing masks from his school. On the video, he wrote “absolutely devious lick.” From there, the #deviouslicks challenge took off.  

    Soon, kids were posting their own #deviouslicks videos on TikTok. Some stole toilets and fire alarms. Others vandalized—or damaged—bathrooms with red paint. Many of these teens were suspended from school. Some even got in trouble with the police.

    Teachers, principals, and parents were shocked. They blamed the teens for their bad behavior. But some blamed social media more.

    Shouldn’t TikTok be doing more to stop these dangerous challenges?

    The video shows a school bathroom. At first, all you see is the floor. Then the camera moves up. It shows a mess. A mirror is sitting in the sink. A ceiling tile is missing. Paper towel dispensers have been torn from the walls.  

    What happened? The answer can be summed up in two words: devious licks.

    It started back in September. There was a TikTok of a kid stealing masks from his school. On the video, he wrote “absolutely devious lick.” From there, the #deviouslicks challenge took off.  

    Kids started posting their own #deviouslicks videos on TikTok. Some stole toilets and fire alarms. Others used red paint to wreck bathrooms. Many of these teens were suspended from school. Some got in trouble with the police.

    Teachers, principals, and parents were shocked. They blamed the teens for their actions. But some blamed social media more.

    Shouldn’t TikTok do more to stop harmful challenges?

    The video opens on a typical school bathroom. At first, it’s just a view of the floor. Then the camera moves up, and you see it: total destruction. There’s a mirror sitting in the sink. One of the ceiling tiles is missing. Paper towel dispensers have been ripped from the walls.

    What happened? The answer can be summed up in two words: devious licks.

    It all started back in September, with a TikTok of a kid stealing masks from his school. On the video, he wrote “absolutely devious lick”—and that’s how the #deviouslicks challenge began.  

    Soon, kids were posting their own #deviouslicks videos on TikTok. Some stole toilets and fire alarms. Others vandalized—or damaged—bathrooms with red paint.

    Many of these teens were suspended from school, and some even got in trouble with the police.

    Teachers, principals, and parents were shocked. They blamed the teens for their bad behavior—but some blamed social media more.

    Shouldn’t TikTok be doing more to stop these dangerous challenges?

    TikTok has taken steps to stop these challenges. If you search for “devious licks,” nothing comes up. The app’s rules also ban actions that are dangerous or harm others. 

    But many parents, principals, and lawmakers believe those rules aren’t working. New harmful challenges pop up every day. They say TikTok needs a way to remove dangerous posts before they go viral.

    Is that really TikTok’s job, though? After all, teens are the ones breaking the law. 

    Plus, some people argue that TikTok doesn’t make these videos popular. We do. 

    We’re the ones liking and sharing. Shouldn’t we stop watching posts that show bad behavior? There are plenty of ways to enjoy social media that don’t involve destroying school property. 

    Maybe we should all try the latest dance challenge instead. 

    The #deviouslicks challenge may seem crazy to you. Why would people break the law—and then post a video about it? The answer is simple.

    On TikTok, challenge videos can get thousands of views in minutes. These kids wanted to be famous, and they considered that reward (fame) more important than the risk (getting in trouble).  

    Because of the way the teen brain is wired, this way of thinking isn’t unusual for teenagers. “You make decisions in the moment,” explains Phyllis Fagell, a middle school counselor in Washington, D.C. “You’re not thinking of how your actions will affect others—such as the janitors who have to clean everything up.”

    Many people think that TikTok should know this about teens. Young people are their biggest users. Yet experts say the app is still designed to reward the craziest, most shocking posts.

    TikTok has taken steps to stop these challenges. If you search for “devious licks,” nothing comes up. The app’s rules also ban actions that are dangerous or harm others.

    But many parents, principals, and lawmakers believe those rules aren’t effective. New harmful challenges pop up constantly. They say TikTok needs a way to remove dangerous posts before they go viral.

    Is that really TikTok’s responsibility, though? After all, teens are the ones breaking the law.

    And some people argue that it’s viewers, not TikTok, who make these videos popular.

    We’re the ones liking and sharing. Shouldn’t we stop watching posts that show destructive behavior? There are plenty of ways to enjoy social media that don’t involve destroying school property.

    Maybe we should all try the latest dance challenge instead.