Tiktok has become the new favored social media app among teenagers. With around 700 million users, almost everyone gets informed about new trends. For the past month, students have walked into school bathrooms to find soap dispensers, paper towels, and even sinks missing from the restroom. Now, the trend has escalated to include acts of anti-Semitism. The reason? A new Tik-Tok trend.  

In September of 2021, a now viral video was posted on Tik-Tok of a student stealing a box of masks, adding a sarcastic caption, “a month into school absolutely devious lick”, for good teenage measure. 

However, the Tik-Tok user soon started a trend, now known as a “devious lick”. What once seemed like a harmless (yet foolish) video led to reports of sinks, toilets, stall doors, and more disappearing from school restrooms across the country. 

Unfortunately, Roswell High School was one of those schools. Currently, soap dispensers are missing, a sink in one of the girl’s bathrooms has been stolen, and paper towels have gone from their dispensers to bathroom sinks. 

Some students, like Alex Walthers, junior, found it amusing, although they’d never personally partake in it themselves. 

“I’m going to be honest, the videos are hilarious.” Walthers said, “While I wouldn’t personally take a toilet or an entire bus, it’s still entertaining.” 

Meanwhile, other students, like freshman Revie Pierce, were disgusted. 

“It’s stupid.” Pierce stated, “You’re stealing school property just for minor internet fame.” 

He continued, saying that “in the times of COVID, it’s not great to see soap dispensers missing… It’s not funny, it’s theft.” 

Moreover, school faculty and staff are left picking up the pieces. Over the announcements, Dr. Shaw and staff have addressed the vandalizing issue, encouraging students to not partake in these online trends.  

And while Tik-Tok has now banned the trend, removed the hashtag, and taken posts down that involve “devious licks”, this hasn’t done anything to stop students from taking and/or vandalizing school property. 

Pope High School, located nearby in Marietta, took the trend to the next level, going under fire when it was reported that students had put swastikas in the bathrooms, causing an outcry from locals, especially the Jewish community. 

Locals were stunned that a “stupid Tik-Tok trend” had escalated from theft to anti-Semitism. The students and staff of Roswell High School are hopeful that the “devious lick” trend comes to end soon. 

As Dr. Robert Shaw said on the announcements, “This behavior is not and will not be tolerated.”