Devious Licks

Since its removal on Sept. 18, 2019, the CCA boys’ bathroom has remained doorless. With the rise in property damage due to social media trends, it seems to make sense why. Photo by Nate Albin.

Behind open doors

Recent trend shows students’ lack of maturity

Nate Albin albinnat000@hsestudents.org

Two years ago, the CCA boys’ restroom door was removed. Two years later, we continue to prove why. Since the school year started, the school has been hit with a spree of vandalism across the building’s restrooms. From urinals and toilets being clogged or towel and soap dispensers being ripped down, FHS is experiencing an epidemic of stupid recklessness. Sadly, this has been a nationwide issue. TikTok’s “devious licks” trend has caused property damage to schools everywhere. A lick, according to the top definition on Urban Dictionary from Jan. 2021, is a successful theft with an acceptable reward for the “protagonist.” In this case, the “acceptable” reward is fame on the social media platform and the “protagonist” is the person getting away with the crime. So far, the only “rewards” have been students breaking laws and destroying school property. This is not the first dangerous social media challenge. Many have put participants in personal danger, such as the Tide Pod challenge or the crate challenge more recently, but this is the first one to cause major property damage. TikTok has taken steps to stop it. A spokesperson for the social media giant told the Insider that the hashtag has been banned from the platform and content related to the challenge is being removed. Eventually, this challenge will fade into obscurity like all other social media trends, but that does not take away from how alarming this is. Part of these challenges occurring can be explained by science. Western University psychologist Claire Crooks says that events like this are attractive to teens because they are communal, create a dopamine rush and take advantage of the developing prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain controlling impulses and inhibition. While there is some developmental science at play, there is another side of this issue. Western University sociologist Kaitlynn Mendes said this trend fits our “always-on” culture. This is a culture of always hunting for likes and follows. She also noted that kids have always imitated that era’s influencers, and the current influencers are people with followers on social media partaking in challenges. Our generation’s willingness to put aside any morals and deface property opens the door to punishments that may seem extreme. The punishments, including suspensions, having the police involved to create a report and making the vandal’s family pay for the damage, almost do not seem like enough. Why should any adults, especially those trying to help us learn how to become successful in the future, trust us when we fall for any trend, even one that encourages illegal activity? Often, kids complain about not being treated as equals. And while most students are not ripping out sanitation stations, with the current actions of some, it is easy to see why there are trust issues. Until stunts like these stop, we have not earned doors.