Waukesha Students Caught Vandalizing Bathrooms In TikTok Trend

WAUKESHA, WI — Several middle school and high school students at Waukesha schools have been caught vandalizing bathroom equipment as part of a trend that hit TikTok as schools reopened.

Several middle and high school students were caught shooting video of themselves ripping out bathroom towel dispensers, toilets and stall doors, Waukesha police Capt. Dan Baumann told TMJ4.

"Devious licks" is a trend on TikTok in which users film themselves pulling stolen school supplies out of their backpacks, according to Know Your Meme. Some videos show students pulling soap dispensers, a microscope and even a fire alarm out of their backpacks.

See Also: TikTok 'Devious Licks Challenge' Pushes Schools To Brink

The trend is also hitting schools in Cedarburg, Wauwatosa and Milwaukee. Sussex Hamilton High School Principal Rebecca Newcomer told parents that the school “may need to shut down restrooms because they will become unsanitary without soap and water" after thefts from school bathrooms, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

TikTok has since removed "devious licks" content from its platform.

"We expect our community to create responsibly — online and IRL," the platform said in a statement. "We're removing content and redirecting hashtags & search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior. Please be kind to your schools & teachers."

“Parents, this is a great opportunity for you to be that mom or that dad and to talk to your kids,” Baumann said.

Patch reached out to the Waukesha Police Department and the Waukesha School District.

Here's what parents can do if they think their child is participating in vandalism and posting it online.

• Help children understand their digital reputation and how it can affect them later in life. If children engage in vandalism or similar behavior online, they may not get into their college of choice or get the job they want, Diana Graber, a digital literacy expert, told The Washington Post.
• Read community guidelines with children. Parents who take the time to read the guidelines with their children can remind them that they are entering a contract and have to agree to terms, Graber said.
• Emphasize that children need to know what it means to be a good digital citizen. Children should know the expectations of their online communities just as much as they know the ones for their real-life communities, Graber said.