All around the country, students have been swiping things left and right from their teachers. Apparently the phrase, “Swiper, NO, Swiping!” From Dora the Explorer wasn’t very effective. A new Tiktok trend called, “Devious Licks,” has taken the schools around America by surprise. However, something teachers have learned is that Devious Licks don’t taste very good.

This trend shows students stealing/and or destroying things, both big and small, from their schools, teachers, and school staff. This trend began on the first of September 2021 when Tiktok user jugg4elias posted a video to the platform. The video depicted the user claiming to have stolen a box of disposable masks, and had the caption, “A month into school…devious lick”. This caused a viral trend in which clout chasers would film and post themselves doing a “devious lick.”

Mr. Keppis, a teacher here at Mountain View, was interviewed about devious licks, he said, “I think people are insecure about their own self, and they take it out on the school.” It’s the same reason why bullies bully. They are insecure in themselves and that fuels their bad habits. Whether it be bullying, stealing, or destroying, the reasoning is the same. You want to impress other people because you are too insecure to be happy with yourself as-is. “It’s just stupid.” This is the root cause of this wide-spread issue.

The devious lick-ters of the world most likely have some mental problems. Kleptomania is defined by Mayoclinic.org as, “the recurrent inability to resist urges to steal items that you generally don’t really need and that usually have little value. Kleptomania is a rare but serious mental health disorder that can cause much emotional pain to you and your loved ones if not treated.” This trend can end up being very dangerous because it can lead to using stealing as a coping mechanism. When you use unhealthy coping mechanisms you tend to rely on them more than you would if they were healthy ways to cope. It’s truly heart-breaking to see so many young lives become corrupt. Tiktok is ruining the lives of our youth today, here in America.

What can we do to help? First off, encouraging this behaviour in your friends, students, and peers is obviously a problem. When you get encouraged by your peers it can feel like you want to do it again. So instead maybe lead them away from that path of life. Say, “Hey, that’s not really cool.” Then they might shy away from thievery now and in the future. Inform those around you of the possible consequences. It is clear that stealing is NOT okay. It must be prevented, especially during the impressionable years of the kids on Tiktok.