“Devious Licks” Trend at AHS?
By Sonja Kruecker-Green
CORRESPONDENT
Walking down the bustling corridors of Andover High School during the past couple of weeks, students could not fail to notice that several of the bathrooms have been out-of-order and off-limits.
This phenomenon is not particular to Andover. All across the country, toilets have been intentionally clogged and sometimes even removed, along with mirrors and soap dispensers having been ripped off walls. This is a result of the “Devious Licks” challenge on TikTok, in which students vandalize school property and then post about it online, in hopes to go viral. Similar destruction has occurred at Andover High School in recent weeks – although no officials have confirmed the details of that damage – and TikTok is likely the driving force here as well.
Assistant Principal Scott Darlington described the situation in the bathrooms as being “very concerning to our school and also to each student and adult in the building,” although he did not describe any specific details of the vandalism and could not confirm that the TikTok challenge played a role. Darlington went on to say that much of the vandalism that has occurred in Andover has been in the boys’ bathrooms. There have been a few acts of vandalism in the girls’ bathrooms as well, although these cases were “minor compared to the boys [bathrooms],” Darlington noted.
Currently, disciplinary action being taken against individuals involved in the vandalism has been in accordance with the AHS Student Handbook. Since vandalism is considered a crime, a variety of measures are being used to manage the situation. In some cases, police-involved school investigations have had to be carried out.
Darlington also shared that monitors are checking the bathrooms more frequently and a sign-in and sign-out sheet is being used for the boys’ bathrooms.
Outside the second floor boys’ bathroom. Sign-in and sign-out sheets have been used in conjuction with bathroom monitors to resolve this issue.
Anecdotally, it has been observed that the pandemic has brought some behavioral issues in kids to the surface. This is well documented in scientific literature. In the medical journal, The Lancet, Amy Orben and colleagues review evidence from numerous pre-pandemic studies that suggest that adolescents are particularly sensitive to social stimuli, and have an increased need to interact with peers; therefore, physical and social distancing may have had a negative effect on this age group.
Mr. Darlington acknowledged that all students this year are likely both academically and developmentally behind as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he emphasized that “the current 9th graders were only in 7th grade when COVID began so they missed having a normal 8th grade year.” As a result, freshmen and sophomores especially may require more guidance in following school rules.
Darlington stressed that nevertheless, there is no excuse for any of the acts of destruction that have occurred. He additionally reiterated that it is imperative that students realize the enormous cost that comes with this vandalism. Not only is there a financial cost to the school, but it also “impacts [students’] ability to access a clean and functioning restroom” and is “creating more work for the custodians [who] have to clean up and repair any vandalism.”
With regards to TikTok and social media itself, Mr. Darlington pointed out that students must be aware “that taking photos or videos of anything or anyone in school and then posting it online is a violation of school rules.” He expressed the hope that the kids involved in the vandalism have learned important lessons from their mistakes.
