“Devious Licks” TikTok challenge encouraging students to vandalism in Coral Springs

Broward County, Florida – According to school administrators, a nationwide TikTok trend encouraging students to vandalism at Renaissance Charter School at Coral Springs.

The latest TikTok trend is known as “Devious Licks,” spurring damage to scores of bathrooms and particularly soap dispensers at a time when they are needed to fight COVID-19.

“Just today, we had a situation in our bathrooms of damaging property,” Renaissance Charter said in a Friday Facebook post, which included a note from Principal Lynette Self warning parents of the viral trend. “This will not be tolerated, nor is it acceptable.”

According to police, the damage at Renaissance Charter follows an Aug. 25 incident of criminal mischief at Eagle Ridge Elementary in Coral Springs, where two students damaged the boy’s restroom in Building 1.

The students “removed the door handle from the inside of the bathroom and together they destroyed the soap dispensers and flushed multiple items down the toilet which caused it to flood the bathroom,” according to a Coral Springs Police incident report.

The estimated cost of the damage was under $100, and prosecution of the students was waived, the report states.

According to Broward Sheriff’s Office records, in another bathroom vandalism incident, graffiti was written on the women’s bathroom, and batteries were stolen from the bathroom soap dispensers at Tamarac Sports Complex, 9901 NW 77th St., on Sept. 7.

After the vandalism at Renaissance Charter School, Principal Lynette Self said in her message to parents that the TikTok trend has “resulted in students making very bad choices all in the name of a challenge.”

“Please take some time to talk with your children today and explain that it is not a joke and will have real consequences up to and including arrest,” Self wrote. “We all know that TikTok targets young impressionable children who have no idea how serious their actions can be.”

Self added that “we must be vigilant as parents and school leaders to help our vulnerable students recognize the dangers in these types of activities.”

“You may get eye-rolls and frustrated sighs, but your voice must be heard. It’s not as much fun when they realize parents are on to these challenges.”

This week, police in Bartow, Fl. arrested a 15-year-old student accused of tearing out soap dispensers in a school bathroom.

According to officials, he told authorities he carried out the vandalism to look “cool”.

TikTok has said it is removing content related to the challenge. “We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities,” the social network said on Twitter.