Stock photo of the TikTok app.Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty
One of the many challenges to gaining popularity on the social media platform was known as the “Devious Lick” trend, which involved students posting videos that show them stealing, damaging or showing off items taken from school. As for how the trend got its name,according to Urban Dictionary, a “lick” is a “successful type of theft which results in an acceptable, impressive and rewarding payday for the protagonist.”
The trend, which is also referred to as “Diabolical Licks” or “Dastardly Licks,” originated on Sept. 1, 2021, after TikTok user jugg4elias posted a video, showing a box of disposable masks that the user claimed to have stolen from a school,according to NJ.com.
“A month into school… absolutely devious lick,” jugg4elias captioned the video in 2021. “Should’ve brought a mask from home. Now look at you walkin' round campus maskless you dirty dog.”
After that, similar videos with the tag “Devious Licks” flooded the platform, causing school officials to speak out on the matter.
Sunlake High School in Land O’Lakes, Fla.,posted about the challenge on Facebook, telling the community: “While kids may think this is a harmless prank, it is indeed criminal activity which will lead to serious school consequences and arrests.”
“Soap dispensers, exit signs, safety signage for fire rescue and classroom telephones are just a few of the items that were removed and stolen this week,” the school wrote. “We love our Seahawks and we do not want to see any of them arrested so PLEASE talk to your kids. If they are participating in this activity you will be hearing from an administrator and our School Resource Officer. Let’s work together to put a stop to this now.”
At Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., students were allegedly stealing soap dispensers from bathrooms, which prompted Chandler school officials to send a letter to parents warning that students could face “a school suspension, full restitution and a police report,” if caught,according to Fox 10 Phoenix.
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Speaking to Fox 10 Phoenix, parent Barrett Marson, whose son attends Hamilton High, said of the trend: “Kids will be kids, right? We’ve all been teenagers, we’ve all done stupid things, but now, with the internet, apps, they can be sort of famous for doing that.”
A spokesperson for TikTok confirmed to PEOPLE at the time that they had taken action regarding the viral challenge.
“We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities,” the spokesperson said. “We are removing this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to ourCommunity Guidelinesto discourage such behavior.”
After the initial ban, those who attempted to search “Devious Licks” on TikTok found an error message that read, “No results found. This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority.”
Searching for “Devious Licks” years later, users will now finda safety messagethat reads, “Your safety matters. Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing or even fabricated. Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being.”
News of the “Devious Licks” trend came shortly after TikTokbanned another viral trend, theMilk Crate Challenge, from its platform due to concerns that it promoted dangerous activity.
In direct response to media scrutiny surrounding “Devious Licks,” TikTok creators initiated a reverse trend known as “Angelic Yields,” involving participants giving back items to their schools, ranging from toiletries to cash,per Business Insider.
Zack Moffatt, Targeted Victory’s CEO, addressed the article’s claimsvia Twitter(now X), stating, “Today’sWashington Poststory not only mischaracterizes the work we do, but key points are simply false. We tried to reach out toTheWashington Postto further talk through them, but never got a response."
A bipartisan effort in Congress to ban TikTok because of security and privacy risksresulted in a hearingin March 2023 where U.S. lawmakers in the House Committee for Energy and Commerce questioned TikTok’s chief officerShou Chewfor several hours.
One year later, the House passed a bill with a vote of 352-65, sending it to the Senate for consideration. This legislation seeks prohibition of the app unless its China-based owner, ByteDance Ltd., divests from the company,per AP News.
Ina TikTok videoposted in March 2024, Chew vowed to continue his fight against the bill and encouraged others to do the same. “We will not stop fighting and advocating for you," he said. “We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you.”
James Mercadante
source: people.com
