SRVUSD Condemns Student Vandalism Amid Social Media Trend

DANVILLE, CA — Schools in Danville and across the country have been hit by vandalism and theft — particularly in bathrooms — in the wake of a social media trend that garnered widespread attention on TikTok.

TikTok, a video-sharing social media platform popular among teenagers, has since banned the #deviouslicks hashtag, which was used to share videos of students stealing items such as soap dispensers, sinks, hand sanitizer, toilets, toilet paper holders or keys from bathrooms, classrooms, teachers and even fellow students. The hashtag remains active on other social media platforms and shows people purporting to steal items off-campus such as road signs and tires.

Some schools have gone so far as to remove doors from bathrooms or restrict use due to the thefts, or "licks."

San Ramon Valley Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Christine Huajardo said in a letter to families last week that the district will not tolerate the destruction and severe damage has been caused to school facilities as a result of the #deviouslicks challenge.

Law enforcement will be involved and students will be disciplined if they are caught. Students may not understand how serious these matters are, Huajardo said.

"An additional concern is that these students are posting their 'licks' on social media, which means that they are posting evidence of themselves committing a crime," she said.

She encouraged families to speak with their children and remind them that theft and vandalism are both crimes. Anyone with information about these matters may visit their school website and click on the SRVUSD Careline.

The viral #deviouslicks videos have drawn comparisons to the Tide pod challenge, which picked up steam in 2018. Participants bit into the liquid detergent pods.

Such challenges are attractive because they spur a dopamine rush as follows and likes trickle in, and foster a sense of belonging in teens, whose prefrontal cortexes have yet to develop, psychologist Claire Crooks told The Washington Post.

Get tips on how to address the trend with your kids from The Washington Post.