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A group of boys walk into a Utah school bathroom and watch one pull a mirror off the wall, hold it like a trophy, and gloat, “Oh, we have a mirror! “
The video, which was posted on TikTok, was fueled by the latest social media craze dubbed the “Devious Lick” challenge.
According to videos that have been recounted on TikTok, students across the country – and in Utah – have filmed themselves stealing school furniture such as mirrors, urinals and even computers, or committing acts vandalism such as emptying soap dispensers on the floor, smearing clogged walls or toilets with soap.
Utah school administrators denounce the viral trend.
Jeff Haney, spokesperson for the Canyons School District, said there had been vandalism or theft at every middle and high school in the Canyons District.
“It is unnecessary, the damage suffered because of a stupid craze for TikTok. We ask the students to stop it before they face serious disciplinary and police action,” he said.
In the Canyons District, vandalism ranges from theft and damage to bathroom soap dispensers to dismantling and often broken mirrors in bathrooms and locker rooms. In one case, a mirror was transported to a busy school hallway, where it shattered.
The toilets and sinks were destroyed. Paper towels and toilet paper stuffed deep in the toilet caused flooding. Even school exit signs were stolen.
The district has captured posted videos of students stealing or damaging school property and is asking students to stop immediately.
Edited video of Utah students removing a mirror from a school toilet that was captured as part of the national Devious Lick craze on TikTok that encouraged vandalism and theft at schools across the county.
“We take this so seriously that we send a very clear message that if you are caught doing this you will be disciplined as much as possible. In accordance with district policy, we will cooperate fully with law enforcement to prosecute you with full legality, ”Haney said.
Haney said it was especially frustrating given the millions of dollars parents of students and other school district residents have paid in property taxes to rebuild and renovate schools in the district.
“In our district alone, we have opened two brand new high schools and a major high school renovation – Alta, Brighton and Hillcrest. All three have had acts of vandalism, ”he said.
Elsewhere in Salt Lake County, school districts have also reported theft and vandalism.
Jordan School District spokeswoman Sandy Riesgraf said the school district has had a few theft incidents “mainly involving soap and paper towel dispensers stuck in our washrooms.” We also had things like stolen trash cans. “
The Granite School District has also been touched by the TikTok craze, spokesman Ben Horsley said.
“Like many districts across the country, Granite has been negatively impacted by this latest social media craze. A handful of our high schools have suffered significant damage to our washrooms and other facilities. Such vandalism is costly to our taxpayers and will be the subject of aggressive investigations and criminal charges. We are reaching out to parents to ask for their help to help curb this growing problem, ”he said.
Alpine School District spokesperson David Stephenson said the state’s largest school district, located in Utah County, has also experienced issues with the TikTok challenge. Most of the damage was confined to school toilets.
“We appreciate parents talking with their high school students because we will continue to investigate and those who caused the intentional destruction will be held accountable,” Stephenson said.
Aside from the possibility of school discipline or the involvement of law enforcement, the incitement to commit vandalism or theft may end now that TikTok is removing the content.
In response to a report on similar events in the Atlanta area on CBS46 television, a spokesperson for TikTok released the following statement:
“We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or allows criminal activity. We remove this content and redirect hashtags and search results to our community guidelines to discourage such behavior.
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