By: Kevin Mensah

The “Devious Licks” trend has been steadily riding the waves of popularity.  If you’re not too familiar with TikTok terminology, Devious Licks, also commonly referred to as diabolical licks, is a viral Tiktok trend that involves students vandalizing school property (particularly in bathrooms). This trend originated on September 1, 2021, after TikTok user jugg4elias posted a TikTok boasting about stealing a pack of disposable masks from his school, captioning “A month into school… devious lick.” Subsequently, this vandalism craze has escalated into many areas across the U.S, particularly the areas of Canada, Latin America, and even Hamden High School. Students across the country have been stealing a wide range of objects that include soap and hand sanitizer dispensers, urinals, sinks, mirrors, doors, locker doors, floor and ceiling tiles, toilet paper rolls, exit signs, telephones, smart boards, and microscopes. There are even more serious offenses that involve students breaking mirrors, and spray painting toilets with red colors that mimic blood. 

Various schools have threatened to lawfully reprimand students. In Polk County, Florida, three students were arrested from two high schools, including one 15-year-old who was arrested for damaging and stealing soap dispensers at Bartow High School. In Boone County, Kentucky, eight students received theft and four received vandalism charges. Hamden High plans to react no differently. On October 1, 2021, Principal Gannon addressed bathroom vandalism in an email to parents and guardians, promulgating that the HHS administration would report any incidents to the Hamden Police Department resulting in a warrant suspension, or possible expulsion. Let’s just hope this trend dies in the near future along with Covid-19.