‘Devious lick challenge’ hits some SWFL schools, businesses

A social media trend is pushing kids to commit crimes and then post them online: Kids are destroying property inside of businesses, even schools in Southwest Florida. It’s forcing them to close. Kids are bragging about these activities, but it’s serious business.

Both Collier County Public Schools and Glades County School District say they will suspend, even file criminal charges, against students they catch vandalizing bathrooms.

Young vandals also were recently accused of hitting a local Dunkin Donuts near Pine Ridge Middle School in Collier County, where employees made it clear they’ve been, “pushed to the brink.”

Kids are ripping out sinks from the wall, taking lockers from the school and even stealing toilets from the bathroom.

“You see kids doing it all the time too, like if a teacher turns their back, like they’ll steal a clock or something,” student Annette Hernandez said.

It’s all part of a new challenge called devious lick, meaning steal, where kids steal and post it on social media

“He’s seen some things on TikTok, and he said some kids were trying to take the soap dispensers in the bathroom here,” parent Olga Tipple said. “It just gets you like a lot of likes at TikTok, like all the videos are blowing up, and it’s pretty crazy.

Hernandez said most of the bathrooms at Gulf Coast High School were closed Tuesday because of the trend. Video that was recorded showed students stealing a faucet, which later flooded the bathroom. Someone also tried to steal a urinal at the school.

The Dunkin Donuts said it will shut down its dining room.

“We can no longer control the young students after school that destroy our restaurant and have no manners,” a sign read at the business.

Over in Glades County, the school district posted pictures from Moore Haven Middle School.

The district shared in a statement for parents, “If your child is caught participating in these challenges, they will be placed in the alternative learning center for a minimum of 45 days, and charges will be filed.

We checked in with Collier County Sheriff’s Office. It said, although no students have been charged yet, it’s a possibility.

A spokeserson for TikTok told WINK News, “We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities. We are removing this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior.”