Whether it’s stolen urinals, smashed floor tiles or missing soap dispensers, the destruction is apparent in school bathrooms across the United States.
It’s the latest trend to go viral on Tiktok, called “devious licks”: Middle school, high school and college students vandalize school property, most commonly bathrooms, and post their results on the social media app.
TikTok has been quick to shut down the trend, with the company removing many of the videos from its platform.
Search the term “devious licks” on the app now, and a message from TikTok appears: “No results found. This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority. For more information, we invite you to review our Community Guidelines.”
“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,” said a TikTok spokesperson.
People have shared the videos on other platforms as well.
A quick search on Twitter revealed a copious catalog of “devious lick” videos, which featured people stealing a bathroom sink and other school property.
In response, some schools are locking bathrooms for large portions of the day.
While the intent is to prevent further vandalism, it could have negative consequences, said school counselor Phyllis Fagell, author of “Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond–and How Parents Can Help.”
“I have a lot of empathy for administrators who are dealing with this behavior,” Fagell said, but she warned that punishing everyone for the actions of a few students can sow mistrust.
Allowing students to use the bathrooms when they please is a basic sign of respect, she added. “If adults want kids to show respect, they have to show respect in return.”
Suspension, expulsion, even criminal charges encompass the possible discipline for students.