'Devious Licks' TikTok Trend Encourages Teens To Steal, Vandalize

MEDFORD, MA — When Liz McDonald was robbed last week, the thieves took more than what she paid for out of pocket for her classroom. They changed how she viewed her students.

"I was robbed today and I need to say that what was taken from me was not the physical items I purchased with my own money for my classroom, it was my joy," McDonald, a Spanish teacher at Medford High School, said. "Instead of channeling my creative energy into designing activities that will engage my students, I felt mistrust."

McDonald posted about the theft on a local Facebook group to warn parents of the "Devious Licks" TikTok challenge, which encourages students to steal school property or personal items from staff – "lick" is slang for stealing – and post their hauls on the popular social media website.

McDonald did not specify what was stolen from her and declined to be interviewed for this story, but gave Patch permission to use her name and post.

Police in Arlington say the challenge goes beyond theft, and includes vandalism like ripping soap dispensers off walls, clogging toilets and dismantling sinks. Officials in that town urged parents to discuss the trend with their children.

"It is our goal to foster a safe and welcoming environment for learning inside the school, and this can only be done if our school property and those in the school are treated with respect," Arlington Superintendent Elizabeth Homan said.

Homan said students could get in "serious trouble" if they participate in the theft or vandalizing of school property.

In a tweet Sept. 15, TikTok said it was removing content related to the challenge, including the #deviouslick hashtag, and "redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior."

"We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities," a spokesperson for the company wrote in an email to Patch.

But TikTok users have gotten around the crackdown by posting under alternate hashtags like "#dispicablelicks," USA Today reported.

Students across the country are starting to face consequences for posting "Devious Licks" videos.

An Alabama high schooler was recently charged after he was accused of stealing a fire extinguisher in connection with the trend, and a 15-year-old in Florida was arrested after his high school reported damaged and missing soap dispensers linked to the challenge.

"Short-lived fame on social media is not worth the potentially harmful impacts that these trends could have," Arlington Police Chief Julie Flaherty said.