ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — A new TikTok trend has emerged across the United States, and it is causing concern among school and police leaders in Rocky River.
“Devious licks” is the newest trend that students across the country are taking part in. Students participating in this challenge are posting videos to the TikTok application showing items they stole from school property and videos of them damaging school property.
According to a Facebook post from the Rocky River Police Department, this week alone, they have seen incidents at the Rocky River High School, Rocky River Middle School as well as Kensington and Goldwood. The incidents at all four of the schools currently are under investigation by the police department.
“We are aware of the situation involving students spurred on by a social media challenge on TikTok,'' said Rocky River City School District Communication Specialist Greg Murphy. “Those who have engaged in this challenge have been appropriately disciplined. The district continues to actively work with the Rocky River Police Department regarding the incident.
“These acts have resulted in possible out-of-school suspension and possible criminal charges due to severity of the damage,” said the Rocky River Police Department in a statement on Facebook.
The Rocky River Police Department encourages parents to talk with their kids and encourages them not to participate in the viral TikTok challenge.
"Our message is pretty simple: Parents, 1, know that this is happening, and 2, sit down and talk with your kids about it. We hope to curb this problem very quickly so that there's less damage to school property," Officer Chris Camp told 3News in an interview.
“It is important to remember that all technology and social media should be used cautiously and monitored closely by parents/guardians to ensure the safety of students’ emotional and physical health,” noted Murphy. “As a school community, we will continue to offer guidelines and resources for safe online behavior.”
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