The recent Tikok trend, “devious licks,” has finally wreaked havoc at Glen A Wilson High School.
Everything is being stolen— from soap dispensers to doors, students are finding ways to stealthily damage school property without facing any real consequences. These acts of vandalism should not be tolerated in any school environment, especially on our exemplary campus. Students who choose to participate in this trend should be held fully responsible.
According to the Harvard Crimson, this senseless trend began when a student posted himself stealing a soap dispenser which quickly transformed from an attention grab to a large-scale issue that managed to cause a breakout in school vandalism within a matter of days. People from all around the country began stealing and damaging school property, all for a chance at some short-lived fame on social media.
At Wilson, the impact of these acts has been immediately felt by students. Bathrooms all around campus have been closed down due to a large amount of stolen or damaged soap dispensers. I recently had to use the bathroom at school, and the soap dispensers were nowhere to be found. I shook my head annoyingly, knowing this was an act of an immature student seeking attention online. During this ongoing pandemic, having no soap in bathrooms prevents the student body from being safe and maintaining protocols. Why should we have to suffer the consequences for the acts of a few? We should stop this “trend” before it gets any worse.
Accordingly, Wilson’s administration has cracked down on these ignorant students. Since the whole point is to record yourself doing these “licks,” there is more than enough evidence to incriminate students. Scrolling through my for you page on Tik Tok, a recommended video of a Wilson student stealing a fire alarm popped up. Students may have the astuteness to steal these school properties, but not the smarts to not get caught.
But the question arises: why are kids committing these crimes? It all comes down to the vast impact that social media has on us, teenagers. The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens reported teenagers to spend 9 hours of their day on social media outlets. We are glued to our screens for one-third of a day, an alarmingly large amount of time. Seeing a collection of people doing trends makes a part of us feel left out, so we do anything in order to grab attention. Vandalizing school property, however, is not a trend. Having been back to school after a year and a half away, it is disappointing to see how disgracefully students are treating our campus.
