(Photo: © Александр Марко | Dreamstime.com)

By Abby Zieverink

Potentially Serious Consequences

Grande Prairie RCMP warn against TikTok trend among youth

Oct 7, 2021 | 12:00 PM

A social media trend that has gone viral has made its way to schools in Grande Prairie.

Grande Prairie RCMP say they have received a handful of complaints from schools in the area regarding vandalism, break and enters, damage to school property, and stolen items such as soap dispensers, which police believe rooted from a popular app amongst youth, TikTok.

The viral trend had students using #deviouslicks, which included students vandalizing or stealing school property.

The hashtag has since been removed from TikTok due to a guideline violation, although some TikTok users have since started using #dispicablelicks for the viral trend instead.

Sgt. Shawn Graham with the Grande Prairie RCMP says although they cannot directly tie the reports to the TikTok trend, there is a clear correlation between the two.

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“Now, is it directly because of that? Obviously, we can’t make that correlation, it seems very similar and that’s why we’re referencing it because it was very similar to what was happening there (on TikTok),” said Graham.

“The heat of the moment, they’re not realizing, that there is a consequence, and they see it as a challenge to go and damage this.”

Graham suggests although it may seem like just a prank for these students because nobody is getting hurt, he explains this trend could lead to serious consequences.

“We don’t want to see this social media trend as something that is encouraging people to do, and we want people to realize that,” says Graham.

“This is not just a prank, and it is something that can be a criminal offence to damage a soap dispenser at a school or break and enter into a school.”

Graham says this includes disciplinary action from the school, or criminal charges for mischief, break and enter, or theft.

“The message we are trying to get at is that although this may be just a fun challenge and thought of as just a prank, it comes with some potentially serious consequences.”