SAN ANTONIO — Following the latest social media trends can be fun.
“We want to belong. People want to be a part of something,” San Antonio Psychiatrist Harry Croft said.
Then there are some people who argue recent TikTok trends are going to far.
“The reality is this is not a victimless type of action,” said Northside ISD Spokesperson Barry Perez, referring to vandalism the district has seen and traces back to a challenge on the social media app.
“Stealing a soap dispenser from a restroom, while some may say (it's) funny and harmless, still leads to repercussions,” Perez said.
Northside ISD says the so-called "Devious Licks" challenge has led to students stealing and destroying school property just to post about it on social media after.
They’ve seen damage amounting to thousands of dollars' worth of needed repairs.
“I’m afraid some of these trends that are going on now can be quite negative and can cause harm to these kids,” Croft said.
Croft says a new trend called the "Slap the Teacher" challenge could get many students in some serious trouble.
“What’s good or bad just follows the trend, and the trend is very big and so people do these things,” he said.
Northside ISD says they’ve made parents aware of recent trends with hopes that conversations start at home to prevent serious situations from happening on campus.
“They will not be tolerated, and we will make sure we enforce the full student code of conduct – and in places it’s applicable, the law – in addressing these types of behaviors,” Perez said.