Students are stealing paper towel dispensers, lab equipment, and school bus parts to flex as “devious licks” in the latest back-to-school trend on TikTok. Well, at least they claim they are.
In a
“Mfs doing great licks,”@oskarsoskar captioned the video, which has more than 2.3 million views as of Monday. “I’m out here doing a whole Heist.”
They posted the video again the same day, racking up 4.6 million views, and captioned it, “I won this trend.”
The opening bars to
As of Monday, there are over 76,000 videos using the sped-up version of “Ski Ski BasedGod,” and 24,500 videos using an identical sound posted by a different TikTok user. The tag #deviouslick has 175.2 million views.
The trend started when TikTok user jugg4elias posted a video on Sept. 1 showing off a box of disposable face masks they claimed to have stolen from school,
“A month into school…absolutely devious lick,” they captioned the video, adding “Should’ve brought a mask from home. Now look at you walkin round campus maskless you dirty dog.”
The video racked up more than 345,800 views before it was removed on Monday.
TikTok user whiteboywes
Amid videos of actual stolen property, TikTok users are also bragging about implausible heists. The tongue-in-cheek videos feature students admonishing others for their small licks before revealing “stolen” cop cars and school busses.
“In just a few minutes…I’m going to win this trend,” TikTok user ucharlie
Another user
One
Other students are fed up with the antics. TikTok users complained that school bathrooms are closed because of
And school administrators are threatening consequences for the trending theft. TikTok user drexerss
“For those that are participating, please know that when we do catch you we will discipline you to the fullest extent and you will be arrested and you will be responsible for any of the monetary damages that have been done,” the school administrator said in the video. “Because of the antics of a few, we don’t have soap in any of the boys’ restrooms…nor do we have any more soap dispensers so you will not be able to thoroughly wash your hands.”
The administrator added that the school had to close one of the bathrooms because of the damages from this trend.
In a
“Soap dispensers, exit signs, safety signage for fire rescue, and classroom telephones are just a few of the items that were removed and stolen this week,” the school posted. “We love our Seahawks and we do not want to see any of them arrested so PLEASE talk to your kids. If they are participating in this activity you will be hearing from an administrator and our School Resource Officer. Let’s work together to put a stop to this now.”
One student on TikTok said participants “took this devious lick thing too far” and
It’s unclear if these measures were already in place, or if students are posting these consequence videos to get in on the trend.
And while the trend may appear harmless, already underfunded schools are taking a hit. YouTuber and streamer Arthur EXE
A lot of you don’t realize how expensive a SMART Board is. Buying a SMART Board is basically taking out a small loan.
“A lot of you don’t realize how expensive a SMART Board is,” Arthur EXE said, adding that his mother is a teacher. “Buying a SMART Board is basically taking out a small loan…This might be the greatest lick in history.”
The base price of the interactive board itself doesn’t include the cost of installation or software licensing, which varies by brand but can still cost tens of thousands of dollars. And while the cost of most classroom furniture like desks, boards, and basic technology is covered by the school district,
Bottom line: devious licks can be fun, but they do hurt actual teachers trying to do their jobs, and punish students who didn’t even participate in trend. And while there aren’t any lick-related arrests made public yet, it’s a very real consequence of attempting a heist just for some clout.