PUSD Condemns Student Vandalism Amid Social Media Trend

PLEASANTON, CA — Schools in Pleasanton 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."

Pleasanton Unified School District spokesperson Patrick Gannon said in a letter to families that such behavior will not be tolerated. He asked parents to remind students that it is against the law to destroy or steal school property, as students may not "fully understand the gravity of the behavior in which they are engaging."

Law enforcement will be involved in the disciplinary process for any students who are caught, he said.

"This has been disruptive to our efforts to create safe learning environments and caused severe damage," Gannon said. "Even more troubling, students are posting their acts of vandalism and/or theft on social media. In doing so, they are posting evidence of themselves committing a crime while also promoting a destructive climate on campus."

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.