‘Devious licks’ videos of damage, thefts bedevil US schools

By JOHN HANNA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH
Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kids across the U.S. are posting TikTok videos of themselves smashing bathroom mirrors or stealing soap dispensers and even turf off football fields. The “devious licks” social media challenge went viral this week and is bedeviling principals and school district administrators. Some schools have even had to shut down bathrooms, where much of the damage is occurring. In northeast Kansas, Lawrence High School had to close several bathrooms after students pried soap dispensers off the walls. But schools, students and parents across the U.S. also have reported similar incidents. A southern Alabama high school student faces criminal charges after being caught on a surveillance camera stealing a fire extinguisher.