Devious Licks and Angelic Yields

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Kiara DeInnocentes

(Above) The vandalized sink at Logansport Junior High.

Opinion: This piece expresses the views of its author(s), separate from those of the publication.

Social media has a large influence on this generation and even older generations. One of the many platforms, TikTok, has been especially influential on this generation. Many have participated in dancing trends, challenges, and singing challenges.

According to “Newsweek,” a TikTok singing trend usually consists of two users in “duet video,” and they sing a song with each other.

What the bathroom sink looked like before it was vandalized. (Kiara DeInnocentes)

“TikTok is influential to myself and to others. It both has a positive influence and negative influence. There are plenty of bad trends that people follow in an attempt to be cool or to fit in. But beside all that, the vast majority is mostly positive, such as the dancing trends,” Freshman Class President Ashanta Curry said.

According to WALLAROO Media, TikTok is a social media platform used mainly by youth but is also occupied by the older generations. It was previously known as Music.ly. Since its name change in 2016, it has gained a drastic rise in popularity. According to Business of Apps, from 2017-2020 there was a 635 million user difference. Its content consists of 3 seconds to 3 minute short videos about whatever the creator chooses to post.

Many social media challenges have resulted in major costs in damage, such as the extreme pinching challenge. The pinching challenge was where one pinched, most commonly their phone, over somewhere high, like a drain, a bridge, a roof, or anywhere where their device will surely get damaged if they lost their grip of your device.

The Devious Lick trend consists of stealing or vandalizing school bathrooms and posting it on TikTok in an attempt to go viral.

An occurrence at the Logansport Junior High School, when a male student in the bathroom sat and jumped on a sink to intentionally break it off the wall and shatter it, was a result of the Devious Lick trend.

Due to this mischievous trend, it is going around the community that staff is considering removing stall doors in the bathrooms.

LJHS has been experiencing severe vandalism because of this trend. According to a janitor, those individuals have been held responsible.

The aftermath of the broken sink and what remains intact. (Kiara DeInnocentes)

The act of that student resulted in expulsion, a full fine, and near prosecution. Now, students’ bathroom privileges have been narrowed down to only a few openings during passing periods or just before class. Students now have to have staff supervision to use the bathroom.

“Not only does the district have to replace property that has been damaged or destroyed in the vandalism, but the district also has to pay for the time and reinstallation of some items,” LJHS Principal Jennifer Miller said.

Schools are taking this destructive trend very seriously, and anyone who is caught taking part in the Devious Lick trend will be fined, possibly charged, and likely expelled for vandalism.

“Students are held accountable according to the student discipline guidelines used by school administrators in determining consequences for student misbehavior, such as vandalism, as stated in the student handbook,” Miller said.

On the flip side, a new trend is currently surfacing, called the Angelic Yield trend. This trend consists of leaving washroom supplies in the bathroom like soap and paper towels. As the participants of the Devious Lick trend took it too far, the Angelic Yield participants have even left televisions in the bathrooms.

Junior High English teacher Grant Howerton believes that most TikTok trends are not harmful to the community. Howerton is shocked by the amount of influence these TikTok trends have on these good students.

“A lot of these trends are not harmful. I guess the part that blows my mind is just how easily kids have been convinced to commit actual crimes for an internet trend, and more than anything, just worried that these good kids are trying to be funny for a second and they’re going to have legal consequences if they get caught,” Howerton said.

Howerton’s thoughts about the debated solution of removing the stalls are, if it needs to be done to stop the destruction, then it should be done. This logic goes off the effectiveness of the vandalism rates going down after some parks have removed their stall doors.

“I’ve heard that they’re done at other places like public parks, and it has cut down on bad behavior in bathrooms at parks. So, I mean if it happens the only people who are to blame are the people who did the trend,” Howerton said.

TikTok trends are widely participated in for consumer enjoyment. Most youths enjoy engaging in these trends, causing a rapid spread of more new trends. Most of the said trends are dancing trends. But when a trend as destructive as the Devious Lick trend surfaces, it can be very dangerous to these easily molded minds.

The Angel Yield trend is likely a counter-act to the Devious Lick trend. Most students are upset about being punished as a group for these students’ actions. Being punished as a group might not be the way to go.

“I believe that the punishments are too much, but they are also vandalizing school property. Arresting people is a little too much because half of the people are kids. I understand punishing those responsible, but some people take it too far,” Curry said.

The Angelic Yield trend is a positive counter-act to the Devious Lick trend because it is encouraging a positive community.

The difference between a positive trend and a negative trend is how it affects you and others. If you are causing harm to youself or others, it is a negative trend. On the other hand, if you’re causing a positive change or if it doesn’t deeply affect someone, then it might just be a positive trend.

The Devious Lick trend is just one example of many negative trends, but that shouldn’t cause the overlooking of the many more positive trends. The Devious Lick trend is a dramatic example of negative trends and should not continue for the good of all students, staff, and schools. Purposefully destroying public areas and leaving them is not helping the community.

For those who have thoughts of participating in the Devious Lick trend, try to instead participate in less destructive and harmful trends like the Milk Crate trend. Testing your balance is way less costly than destroying school property. Please practice trends with caution.

Another TikTok trend you can safely participate in is the “put a finger down challenge.” The creator names a list of things you may or may not have done and you would put a finger down if you did. There is no harm in it, and it is just for fun.

As it is known that things can sometimes be taken too far, it is an agreed thought that the Devious Lick trend has been taken too far. Let us hope that trends in the future will not be taken as far as this one.