After the ring of the morning bell, on Monday Sept. 20, NHS principal Caleb Smith made an announcement over the intercom. Smith explained the damages of the recent Tik-Tok trend ‘devious licks’ and warned those involved to stop immediately or risk legal fees and expulsion. He additionally told students of a potential 50 dollar reward NHS would be handing out to students if they are able to give names or other information on people who participated in the trend to the administration.

Overall, ‘devious licks’ is a popular trend where students post a video of themselves on Tik-Tok stealing and vandalizing materials from their school. Although this is a Tik-Tok trend, some students do not post videos of themselves at all and instead partake in the criminal activity for other reasons.

“Makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, it’s better than getting the assignment done… It’s a mild inconvenience for the teachers,” an anonymous student said.

The trend began as stealing items such as soap dispensers and soap in general, however, some students steal much more noticable things such as toilets, stall separators or smart boards. Typically, students who refrain from making videos on the trend usually steal only small items, as those stealing big-ticket items are seeking the social gratification the app can provide.

“I’ve got four doorstops, three tiles, a ping pong paddle and a two point five pound weight,” an anonymous student said. 

While many Tik-Tok trends are harmless and inflict no violence, administrators have expressed that this trend has been taken one step too far. Therefore, the administration team and teachers have no option other than to take action against these incidents. Some surrounding area schools have closed down bathrooms, where others have increased hall monitoring and restricted passing period time in response to these issues. NHS administration has urged those involved to come clean immediately and bystanders to confess in order to not only prevent further punishment, payment and possible arrest but also to maintain the positive and uplifting environment in the school setting for the Railer family.