The school bathroom challenge is a trend on TikTok where students record themselves stealing things such as: soap dispensers, toilet paper dispensers, exit signs, etc. The trend, nicknamed “Devious Licks,” involves the act of breaking, damaging, and stealing school property to gain attention on TikTok. Boyertown students have jumped on the trend and will face criminal charges according to school officials. 

How this impacts BASH

Students at BASH have already stolen the toilet paper and soap dispensers, a fire alarm, toilet handles, and hand sanitizer. All of the bathrooms have been closed except for the bathrooms in the 100’s, 700’s, and 800’s hallways. According to 6 ABC Action News, Boyertown students are stealing from bathrooms and destroying fixtures while capturing the damage on video. The student who causes the most damage in one school day is declared the “winner.” The superintendent of our school has already issued that criminal charges have and will continue to be made against those found stealing or vandalizing school property. Students will also be suspended,  along with those charges.

Mr. Dunne, one of BASH’s teachers who has taught here for four years, has caught several students from vaping in the bathrooms to now this new challenge. He saw students walk towards the bathroom, and soon after heard a loud bang. When he went to investigate the noise, the students were already down the stairs. After seeing the kids come back and claim to, “try and fix it,” he went in and saw the soap dispenser on the floor. This challenge has disrupted classes to the point that Mr. Dunne stated, “I shouldn’t be monitoring bathrooms, I should be teaching.”  

The Origins of the Challenge

The original user @Jadenflick wrote, “Only 2 weeks into school and got this absolute devious lickk #devious.” The since deleted video showed them pulling what appears to be a Georgia-Pacific hands-free paper towel dispenser from their backpack. The TikTok video swiftly gained over 2.3 million likes and was taken down soon after. As the trend continues, more and more videos appear on TikTok. The similar videos are all accompanied by a sped-up version of Lil B’s song, “Ski Ski BasedGod.” The challenge is to try and attempt the most “devious/diabolical” licks. The Urban Dictionary says the term lick, “refers to when people come up on a lot of money very quickly. Usually illegally by robbing and stealing all in a short amount of time.” In the case of this trend, the reward for the most “devious” and “diabolical” lick is attention to TikTok and engagement to the users’ TikTok account. 

The Extremes and Bare Minimums

The licks have been getting more and more extreme over the past few weeks, as the participants on TikTok repeatedly try to keep one-upping each other. Students from across the country have thus far claimed to have stolen projectors, Smartboards, an entire sink, an entire toilet, a water fountain, plastic spoons, boxes of masks, bathroom mirrors, dispensers, and other more expensive equipment. Parodies have also been made online of people “stealing the entire school” or simply stealing one paperclip. 

Schools are urging students to stray away from the challenge as it is technically stealing government property and can get students into some serious trouble. The Jones County High School in Gray, Georgia, posted a message on Facebook telling parents to be aware of the challenge and its consequences. The message read, “Please know that this is a very serious offense and is considered theft of government property. Students who choose to participate in this behavior will be disciplined in accordance with our student code of conduct…In addition, students who record, post, or share video of such behavior can also face disciplinary consequences. Please discuss this with your students. We appreciate your assistance in curbing this destructive behavior so that we may maintain our focus on teaching and learning.”

Administration and staff at Boyertown Area Senior High are encouraging students to put an end to the trend and to report any students who are damaging school property.