The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
TikTok caper fuels statewide vandalism
A viral social media trend is encouraging young users to vandalize school bathrooms across the state and experts say dealing with the problem shouldn’t end with the immediate consequences for the property destruction.
TikTok’s “devious licks” challenge has users share videos of damaged school property like broken mirrors and sinks, soap and towel dispensers, and toilets and urinals. The national trend has popped up in Weston, Fairfield, Darien and West
port, as well as Norwalk, Middletown and New Britain.
In school districts, consequences have ranged in severity, from bathroom closures and teachers moonlighting as facility monitors to threats of suspensions, expulsions and police involvement.
So what would prompt a young person to partake in these risky trends?
While online platforms can give teenagers the opportunity to feel connected, they can also elevate social status and shape reputations. With the “devious licks” challenge, youth copy the general concept, but add their unique spin by creating their own short videos.
“Yes, people want to be recognized for doing something slightly differently,” said Dr. Amber Childs, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. “But at the same time, they’re all trying to fit in.”
Dr. Margaret McClure, a professor of psychology at Fairfield University and a clinical psychologist who specializes in adolescence, said that during adolescence, peer influence becomes stronger while that of family weakens.
That effect is multiplied by social media, which has increased young people’s social circles and strengthened those ties. The pandemic, which has forced people into their homes, “likely escalated the influence of finding social support from peers online,” McClure said.
Experts said although adults should take steps to discourage risky and, in this case, illegal behavior, the response cannot stop there.
“While it’s important to think through monitoring, it’s also really important to have conversations about that teenager’s values: who they want to be in the world, what they want to represent,” Childs said.
Spreading quickly
In response to the media reports, representatives for the platform posted on Twitter: “We expect our community to create responsibly — online and IRL (in real life). We’re removing content and redirecting hashtags & search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior. Please be kind to your schools & teachers.”
One of the earliest publicized incidents in Connecticut was in Weston, where a local high school reported several cases of vandalism in the bathrooms last week.
“We are asking that you also speak with your children about the dangers and consequences of engaging in illicit acts and posting them on social media,” wrote Juliane Givoniy, the interim principal, and Joe Mogollon, a school resource officer, in a letter to families.
Later that week in Fairfield, middle and high schools were enveloped by the trend. District officials said those involved had been disciplined, including detentions, restorative practices, and held responsible for repairs.
“Please talk to your kids and let them know that this is not a harmless prank, but destruction of school property that has very serious consequences,” Superintendent Mike Cummings notified families.
Westport, too, saw soap and towel dispensers torn off walls, soap spread over the bathroom floors, and a urinal screen shoved into a sink drain that caused a flood.
The incidents spurred new rules at Bedford Middle School: unsupervised boys bathrooms were locked, and teachers are requiring students sign in and out of classrooms to use the facilities. Families were alerted that students will be disciplined and, in some cases, referred to the Westport Police Department.
“Most concerning to me is the negative impact on our school culture and sense of trust,” Adam Rosen, the middle school principal, told parents.
The challenge made its way to Norwalk, Darien and Stamford, too, and outside Fairfield County, incidents popped up in Middletown, New Britain and Glastonbury.
The trend has spread so quickly and so widely that on Monday Fran Rabinowitz, who heads the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, joined a news conference with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., calling on TikTok to take action.
“We need to sit down with these students,” Rabinowitz told Hearst Connecticut Media. “We need to talk about why they felt the need to do this.”
“I know developmentally, there is a great deal to be said about peer influence, and that’s why I have so much anger at TikTok — that I feel they’re exploiting our kids,” she added.
Teaching moment
McClure and Childs said that children’s brains at that age are still growing, which could make them feel invincible in a way that is typical of adolescence.
“The prefrontal cortex is developing in such a way that the foresight to appreciate the full weight of the consequences — legal and physical — is still really maturing,” Childs said.
That could also lead them to see a greater chance for fame and success on these platforms.
“Some young individuals are seeing that if you get a certain amount of likes, hits and shares, you get advertisers reaching out to you, and compensated for what you put out there,” said Marcus Stallworth, a licensed social worker who helped pass legislation in Connecticut on using social media safely in public schools. “There’s only a handful, but there’s enough to think, ‘Maybe I can circumvent this whole system?’”
Stallworth said educators and school staff have to think about how they respond to this behavior, and suggested clinicians on the ground could be part of that conversation.
“Find ways to make it teachable moments, learning opportunities,” he said, “and guide their critical thinking around what the impacts can be.”