Lick Challenge Takes Over the Internet

There is a new social media trend going around on Tik Tok called the Lick challenge. The challenge is to record yourself stealing or vandalizing things around your school.

The most viral videos have included students stealing soap dispensers, paper towel holders, and microscopes. A video on Tik Tok under the account @dubiousdelight currently has 130.9k likes, and shows a school bathroom with paper towel and soap dispensers missing.

At Arrowhead, staff are working to prevent this from happening. In an email sent to all staff, associate principal Debra Paradoski said, “There is a LICK (stealing) Challenge on Tik Tok that is encouraging students to steal from schools. Please be on the alert.”

Arrowhead’s School Resource Office, Matthew Vanderboom said, “I am familiar with the devious licks challenge. The punishment for a student participating in the challenge would vary depending on what items they steal. For example, a more expensive item would likely result in a greater consequence. If a student were to be involved, identified, and proven that they stole an item from the school, it is likely they would receive a municipal citation for theft. A further legal consequence could result in arrest(s) or juvenile referral(s) to the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office. In terms of a school consequence, a student would likely be suspended for numerous days and removed from any extra curricular activities for a period of time.”

Students at Arrowhead have noticed missing soap dispensers, and missing sink knobs.

Sophomore Brooke Jordan says, “I have seen people participating; I’ve heard that [stealing] soap dispensers are the biggest thing. However, the [Lick Challenges] I’ve witnessed haven’t taken anything off school grounds or vandalized in any way.”

At surrounding schools, emails have been sent out to all students, parents and staff regarding the trend. Louie Pick, a sophomore at Kettle Moraine says, “the school sent out an email and put it in the announcements.”

Here is an excerpt from that email:

This letter is to inform you of a social media trend on Tik Tok that has potential to disrupt learning in Kettle Moraine School District. We are writing to ask for your support in speaking to your students(s) about the seriousness of this type of behavior, as well as to outline the steps we will take to protect district property. Students who steal district property will be referred to School Resource Officer Soneberg and the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department for theft and/or criminal damage of property.

At Arrowhead, administration has yet to send out an email to students, or make any announcements.