Five North Vancouver high schools vandalized as part of TikTok prank

The North Vancouver School District is urging local parents to talk to their teens after a recent TikTok challenge resulted in vandalism at five of the seven local high schools.

Soap dispensers were ripped off walls, mirrors were damaged and first aid kits and other supplies were stolen from science rooms as a small group of teens took part in a recent TikTok “challenge” called Devious Lick, which involved students posting videos showing them stealing, damaging or showing off items taken from school.

“To participating students, this challenge may seem like a harmless stunt, it is however alarming, inappropriate and illegal,” wrote North Vancouver district principal Brad Baker in a letter to parents.

Baker said the school district has also warned teachers and staff not to leave any personal items unattended in case they fall victim to the social media stunt.

Of the schools hit by the TikTok vandals, Argyle suffered the most damage, said Baker.

Baker added in the letter the impact could include reduced bathroom access in the schools.

Baker said some community members have provided screenshots of students posting their pranks on TikTok. Some schools also have cameras at the entrances to buildings, which could help identify those responsible, he said. Students could be asked to pay for the cost of replacing fixtures and supplies or face a suspension, he added. Baker warned once such videos are posted online, it can be very difficult to remove them.

He said the actions appear to be the work of a small group of students in each school. “It doesn’t reflect the whole school community.”

Vandals also targeted schools in Vancouver, New Westminster, Chilliwack, and Langley as part of the recent challenge.

Recently, TikTok took steps to remove the videos associated with the vandalism.

Jesse Miller, a North Vancouver-based social media educator, said he’s a fan of TikTok, which has usually been responsive to problems.

Recently, for instance, a “milk crate challenge” which resulted in injuries requiring visits to local emergency departments after people tried to climb on a pyramid of milk crates, was removed from the platform.

“It’s one of the most engaging, comprehensive, inclusive and educational apps in the social media space,” he said.

But he acknowledged there will always be social media trends that prompt concern, whether those are pictures of creepy clowns on Instagram, kids eating laundry detergent pods for SnapChat or people oversharing personal information on Facebook.

“There are always going to be trends that make people want to blame the app. But the app is not to blame. It’s society.”

Rather than reacting by deleting the app, parents should use the news about the vandalism as a chance to speak to their teens about social media, he said.