BEAUMONT, Texas — Southeast Texas school officials are warning parents and students ahead of time that the following of a new social media trend could bring about legal repercussions.
Devious Licks is a nationwide TikTok trend that encourages students to steal and/or destroy school property. Southeast Texas school officials are highly encouraging students to think twice before engaging in this type of activity and to not mindlessly follow the trend.
“If you want to do a TikTok challenge do a positive and constructive TikTok challenge,” Adrienne Lott , media and communications specialist for Port Arthur Independent School District, said. “I would like for kids to be leaders and not followers. To use their brains and not the person on TikTok’s brain.”
Port Arthur ISD officials quickly brought this trend to the attention of parents to stop it before it started, Lott said.
“We were proactive in putting the message out as soon as we found out about it, so that those things kind of curb it before it actually gets started,” Lott said. “To my understanding, we have not had any of those incidents in our district.”
Southeast Texas school officials are making it known that there will be zero tolerance for this type of behavior.
“Engaging in those types of activities, of course, has not only administrative penalties or punishments or sanctions, but it also can lead to criminal sanctions as well,” Joseph Malbrough, Beaumont ISD chief of police, said.
BISD officials said there are no reports of students from their district participating in the challenge.
“We're very glad that our children in our area, have not engaged in that type of activity,” Malbrough said.
School officials are encouraging parents to talk to their kids about real-life consequences.