Devious lick

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Missing soap dispenser at a Texas public school on September 20, 2021, as a result of a devious lick.

A devious lick,[a] also known as a diabolical lick,[4] dastardly lick, or nefarious lick,[5] amongst other names, was a viral 2021 TikTok challenge in which one or more American middle or high school students post a video of themselves stealing, vandalizing, or showing off one or more items they stole in, their school, typically from a bathroom (or, in some cases, merely pretending to have done so).[6][7] The trend has resulted in the arrests of many students across the United States.[8][6][9][10] It also allegedly spread to some schools in Canada, Latin America, England, Germany and Australia.[11][12][13]

History[]

The trend originated on September 1, 2021, after TikTok user jugg4elias posted a video showing a box of disposable masks they claimed to have stolen from school, with the caption "A month into school... devious lick". Similar videos with the term "devious lick" soon flooded the platform, with students stealing items from bathrooms, such as soap and paper towel dispensers, toilet paper roll shields, urinals, sinks, mirrors, and floor and ceiling tiles. Eventually, students allegedly began stealing items outside of the bathrooms, including exit signs, telephones, smart boards, and microscopes. The videos were typically accompanied by a sped-up version of Lil B's "Ski Ski BasedGod". The videos' captions often modify the name of the trend with synonymous adjectives, such as "mischievous" or "diabolical licks," etc. Various schools began taking action against the trend, warning students of serious school consequences and arrests. More serious vandalism attributed to the trend involve broken mirrors and light fixtures, as reported in the North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas.[5][2][7] In Polk County, Florida, three students were arrested from two high schools, as well as one 15-year-old who was arrested for damaging and stealing soap dispensers at Bartow High School.[8][6] In Boone County, Kentucky, eight students were charged over the trend, with four receiving theft and four receiving vandalism charges.[9] In Stafford County, Virginia, a student from Stafford Senior High School was charged for vandalizing a park bathroom near the school. In Mohave County, Arizona, a 15-year-old was arrested for stealing a school toilet paper dispenser.[10]

Public response[]

Missing washroom sign at Liberty North High School as a result of the "devious lick" challenge.
Note the missing "L" on the sign, making "school" incorrectly spelled.

In addition to schools and police warning students against the trend, various media commentators condemned the trend. Daily Show host Trevor Noah joked that, "When the U.S. government said you can't trust TikTok because it's a Chinese plot, I won't lie — I didn't believe it. But now I'm starting to see it. Because China's figured it out: You don't need to fight this country — you just need to convince Americans to go viral and they’ll just destroy themselves."[14] However, Brock Colyar of Curbed criticized what he called "Grown-up Hysteria" by "school administrators, internet moralists, and even a US Senator" who "willfully misunderstand, and forget, what it's like to be a teen and what you often end up doing when you're told not to do something."[15] He also confirmed that three separate videos of supposed "devious licks" were, in fact, all staged, with one video of a student supposedly stealing a microscope actually being of a microscope the student owned at home.[15]

Angelic yields[]

After the media backlash and crackdown on devious licks, some TikTok users began participating in a counter-trend known as "angelic yields", where users anonymously donated items to their schools, such as bottles of soap and rolls of toilet paper, typically to replace whatever had been stolen during a devious lick, or to hide a gift for someone to find, often in the form of a small amount of cash.[16][17] Angelic yields, in contrast to devious licks, have been generally positively received by the communities affected.[18]

Platform response[]

The original devious lick video was removed on September 13, and TikTok began removing videos featuring the trend. The trend was banned by TikTok on September 15 for violating TikTok's Community Guidelines against illegal activities, by which time the "devious" hashtag had over 235 million views. Searching for related hashtags results in a message about TikTok's Community Guidelines.[6][1]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ According to Urban Dictionary, the word "lick" is defined as "an acceptable, impressive and rewarding payday".[1][2][3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Rodriguez, Katherine (September 15, 2021). "What is the 'devious lick' TikTok trend? What does it mean? Here's what to know". NJ.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Haasch, Palmer. "Students are claiming on TikTok that they stole soap dispensers, SmartBoards, and microscopes from schools as part of a growing trend". Insider. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Mooney, Georgia (September 16, 2021). "Wait, what is a devious lick? And why am I seeing it all over my TikTok rn?". The Tab. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "Stafford County principal warns of consequences over TikTok 'devious lick' trend". Insidenova.com. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021. Called 'devious lick' or 'diabolical lick', teenagers are stealing items like soap dispensers, signs, or boxes of disposable masks and bragging about it on social media.
  5. ^ a b Goldstein, Joelle (September 16, 2021). "What to Know About the 'Devious Lick' TikTok Challenge – and Why Schools are Warning Parents". People. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d Pelletiere, Nicole (September 17, 2021). "15-year-old student's arrest linked to banned TikTok challenge after police locate video of crime". Fox News. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Marples, Megan (September 18, 2021). "The 'devious licks' TikTok challenge has students stealing toilets and vandalizing washrooms". CNN. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Staff, WFLA Web (September 17, 2021). "Florida teens arrested after taking part in 'devious lick' TikTok challenge, sheriff says". WESH Channel 2. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Knight, Cameron; Endale, Brook (September 17, 2021). "TikTok 'devious licks' trend: 8 juveniles charged in Boone County". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Goldstein, Joelle (September 20, 2021). "Students Across the U.S. Face Criminal Charges After Participating in 'Devious Lick' TikTok Trend". People. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Hollingsworth, Paul (September 20, 2021). "Social media challenge brings increase in school vandalism". CTV News. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Staff, 9News (October 7, 2021). "Students warned of harsh punishments, police action, as schools crack down on TikTok craze". 9News. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Staff, Taunus-Nachrichten (February 16, 2022). "Vorsätzliches Verursachen des Feuers in der EDS Kriminalpolizei ermittelt in alle Richtungen". Taunus-Nachrichten. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  14. ^ Navlakha, Meera (September 23, 2021). "Trevor Noah is really not amused by the TikTok devious licks challenge". Mashable. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Colyar, Brock (September 22, 2021). "The Grown-up Hysteria Around TikTok's Devious Licks". Curbed. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Team, KESQ News (September 20, 2021). "After the destructive 'Devious Licks' trend may come 'Angelic Yields,' social media posts to atone for school vandalism". KESQ. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  17. ^ Haasch, Palmer (September 21, 2021). "TikTok creators say they're leaving money, toilet paper, and soap in bathrooms in a reversal of the 'devious licks' school-stealing trend". Insider. Retrieved September 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Bradford, Taylor Ann (September 23, 2021). "TikTok trend leads to vandalism in Gloucester schools". gloucestertimes.com. John Celestino. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
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