Tricky Trends: Teens are too quick to follow social media trends to seek out views and likes, not considering the consequences of their actions

If principal Jason Peres’ announcement on Sept. 15 was the first time you’ve heard the term “devious licks,” you might’ve tried to type in the term on your TikTok search bar. 

It was likely unsuccessful: you were probably met with a “no results” screen and a warning that the phrase may violate community guidelines. That’s because TikTok recently banned the hashtag and all affiliated tags due to reports of illegal actions. 

So what’s a devious lick?

With over 3,000 videos using the same background arcards-sounding song that have amassed millions of likes, devious licks are the newest — and most damaging — TikTok trend. It involves the theft of various items, from toilet seats in bathrooms to menus from restaurants, and even fire alarms from middle schools. And every “lick” was in the hopes of racking up views and attention on not only TikTok, but social media in general. Teens blindly follow social media trends and disregard the consequences. This is a pattern that needs to be stopped. 

But this trend didn’t start feeling real until it happened in our own school. At East, soap dispensers and toilet paper holders were ripped from the bathroom walls. A printer was stolen and bathroom stall doors were pulled off hinges. Additionally, red dye was spilled through various locations within the school — all of which the janitors had to clean up. 

It’s not “devious,” or cool — it’s illegal. Theft shouldn’t be considered trendy. And this “licks” trend is just one example.

In March of 2020 when the pandemic hit, sharing videos of licking toilet seats grew as a trend, resulting in several positive teenage COVID-19 cases. Even back in 2017, the infamous “tide pod challenge” of eating laundry detergent circled social media, and landed people in hospitals. 

These trends are destructive and the effects of them are evident across the country. 

According to AP News, the destruction from the devious licks trend has affected areas from Kansas to Virginia, with missing street signs, football field turf and bathroom stall doors. Disciplinary action, such as out-of-school suspensions, has been taken at several of these schools, including East. These effects should be recognized, not disregarded as “just another trend.”

Social media trends can be legitimately dangerous and reckless. Instead of thinking about how these trends cause harm to viewers, people would rather focus on creating a viral video with thousands of likes and comments.

But first, think — is five seconds of fame worth possible jail time?

ACCORDING TO AP NEWS, THE DESTRUCTION FROM THE DEVIOUS LICKS TREND HAS AFFECTED AREAS FROM KANSAS TO VIRGINIA, WITH MISSING STRET SIGNS, FOOTBALL FEILD TURF AND BATHROOM STALL DOORS

The root of the problem comes down to the desire for likes and fame on videos. According to truelist.com, a blog focused on social media, 43% of teenagers feel discouraged if no one likes their posts, with 34% of young adults having a fear of missing out when they aren’t on social media. In search for self-validation and gratification — in terms of TikTok likes — teens feel the need to be constantly in tune with social media and follow trends to stay up to date, all with the goal of gaining likes and traction on videos. 

An easy route to getting more likes? Trying to recreate viral videos. The bigger a trend gets on TikTok, the more likely copycat videos will go viral. It quickly can become a toxic cycle — and it needs to stop. 

And it’s not just the people making the videos that are the problem. It’s the viewers, too. Comments like “don’t give me any ideas” and “this can’t be real” left on videos promote the video to more viewers, but also encourage more of the same destructive actions. 

Instead of being complicit, people should report these videos for “illegal activities” or “dangerous organizations and individuals” rather than liking or commenting on the them. Likewise, if you see someone at East stealing something, simply report it. 

Stopping these trends isn’t killing the fun — it’s preventing disastrous consequences. Surely we can come up with a better trend than consuming toxic chemicals or joking about spreading COVID-19. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be frowned upon. 

So next time there’s a new social media trend, consider if the consequences are worth the likes before immediately jumping to do it with your friends. Chances are you’ll thank yourself in the long run.