Amid the re-adjustment to in-person schooling comes a new challenge: school bathroom closures. TikTok’s latest trend, “Devious Licks,” has had long-term (if not criminal) effects on our campus.

“Devious Licks” began after a TikTok user posted a video of himself stealing a box of masks from his high school. The video went viral, with the harmless prank escalating quickly into students all over the country stealing everything from fire alarms to ceiling tiles to car doors.

Unfortunately, this craze has reached PV High, causing the on-and-off weeks-long closure of two boys bathrooms after sinks, toilets and soap dispensers were deviously “licked” from our campus, forcing male students to trek across campus just to use the restroom.

It’s appalling that after a year and a half off-campus, students at our school seem to have forgotten how to act, not only engaging in behavior disruptive to students’ bladders, but also behavior that could warrant arrest. News flash: unlike TikTok trends, criminal records don’t go away after a week.

Disgraceful is the fact that our custodians have borne the brunt of consequences, having to spend time cleaning up feces-trashed restrooms and restoring toilets and sinks to their former working-order. Any student perpetrators, it appears, have evaded any punishment.

“Devious licks” isn’t the first trend to bring out the worst in students. Last year, teachers were forced to take extra precautions to protect their virtual classrooms from “Zoom bombers.”

Even after clear warnings from administration, law enforcement, and the social media platform, itself, the harmful fads don’t seem to end. Is it really that hard to ask students to discern between toxic TikTok trends like these and harmless ones?

TikTok is the perfect place to find salmon rice recipes, learn trendy dances and watch funny videos.  Senior year backpacks, in which students wear children’s backpacks (think Paw Patrol and My Little Pony), are the perfect example of positive, school-related trends.

But, the platform cannot continue to be a breeding ground for mischief.

Students, especially at a school like Palos Verdes High, should be able to use their better judgement before engaging in trends like “devious licks” and should think about the effects their actions have on both faculty and fellow students.