At the start of September, there was an absurd number of school property being vandalized and stolen in Lansing High School and many other schools around the world. The source of these unusual acts: a new Tik Tok trend dubbed “devious licks.”

The trend started with a Tik Tok user posting his own devious lick: a soap dispenser. Though still thievery, such a lick is small and innocous in the well-being of the school. However, students reformed to stealing clocks, toilet lids, and now, at our very own Lansing High School, a sink. 

The students of Lansing, the usual culprits of devious licks, have their own views. One Lansing Sophomore student says “The trend isn’t even funny. The only remotely laughable thing is seeing them get in trouble.” She, and her peers, admit that the Tik Tok trend is thievery and destruction of someone else’s property.

The acts of these trend following delinquents have even punished themselves, along with their other peers. Many teachers are requiring students to leave their phones in the classroom during bathroom breaks and some are even limiting the time their kids can spend in the bathroom, all to try and prevent devious licks.

The teachers, however, have different views. Mr. Andrews, a Social Studies teacher, says “It’s destruction of property and theft, and kids don’t realize that.” He believes, like many other of his colleagues, that the “devious lick” trend is awful and unamusing. 

The teachers understand where the student’s passion for vandalization comes from, they want to get “fame and likes” from Tik Tok. However, Andrews calls for punishment to the culprits, “an in school suspension and payment for damages” would be fair.

Thievery is now a Tik Tok trend, and though the trend has been blocked by Tik Tok regulations, will it be stopped in our school? The hashtag of this trend has been banned on the platform it stemmed from, however, a teacher thinks it will get worse. He says “banning [things] on Tik Tok makes more people want to do it.” while a student believes “it will stop spreading but grow worse inside other social media platforms.”