Starting on September 1, 2021, students that recently rejoined schools all around the country began stealing school equipment and destroying them for the trend “Devious Lick”. This is usually done by hiding them in their bags, then destroying them at their residences. 

Devious lick began on September 1st, 2021, and has since grown into a large trend on social platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, etc. This trend has been costing schools quite a lot of money, especially when students decide to steal more expensive items such as computers and bags. Some schools have started to punish all students who are caught attempting to steal any school property through detention, suspension, and expulsion, as well as fines equivalent to the price of the item, as well as a slight fee. Videos involved in the trend usually start by showing a classroom, then cutting to a house as they show a student reaching into their backpacks and pulling out items, such as printers, laptops, and dispensers, insinuating they stole them. Schools have had enough, and are ready to take action against this thievery and destruction of property. Teachers are beginning to have theories about why devious lick is occurring.

“I personally think it’s students trying to look popular. They are destroying property,” says Lamb, a teacher at one of the many schools affected by the trend.

The trend has cost schools more than $5,000 in repairs and replacements. While some students believe it is just a harmless joke, some students believe that the rules for devious lick should be more strict and actively attempt to stop devious licks whenever possible, as well as apprehending the students that are committing this felony and handing them over to the proper authorities, which ranges depending on the severity of the lick.

“I think the trend is stupid, I don’t know what people are getting from it. Why would you steal something just to break it? It seems like it has no point!” says Mesecher, a student at one of the schools that is experiencing the trend.

Some of the most stolen items are also the most prominent in schools, such as soap dispensers and toilet paper dispensers. Although these are the most common, much larger and/or more expensive items have been stolen, such as mirrors, toilet flush sensors, school phones, outlet covers, and wall tiles. The licks are becoming more expensive, as well as more dangerous, like when a student stole a urinal from one of the bathrooms and ended up flooding the room.

“I feel that it’s misleading our youth to believe that type of behavior is ok. If it continues, it will lead our youth in a downward spiral” says Ms. Savoy, one of the office and record assistants at one of the many schools affected.

In conclusion, devious lick is a very bad trend in general and is getting worse. It is very misleading and can cost schools quite a lot of money. The largest lick to date was in a school in Utah, where a student somehow stole an entire row of lockers without getting caught! How they managed this is still unknown.