TikTok Isn’t the Problem — The Real Issue Lies in Our Schools

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In the United States, a troubling trend has emerged among students: the theft and vandalism of school property, particularly in bathrooms. This includes everything from breaking mirrors to clogging toilets, and even a bizarre act of spraying red dye around stalls to mimic blood, all under the hashtag #DeviousLicks that has taken TikTok by storm, where “lick” is slang for stealing.

School administrators, teachers, and parents are scrambling to respond to this phenomenon. Measures being taken include locking bathrooms, confiscating phones, tightening hallway supervision, and restricting students from leaving classrooms for basic needs like water. The impact on school counseling and security staff is significant, and one has to wonder about the perspective of custodians amidst all this chaos.

But let’s pause for a moment: could this behavior be a reflection of deeper issues?

While I’m not defending the destructive actions of these students—because they are indeed making immature choices—it’s critical to delve deeper into the reasons behind such actions. All behavior is communication, and vandalism is an abnormal expression of discontent. This impulsive and reckless destruction is not typical of healthy student behavior, and ignoring the root causes would be irresponsible for us as adults.

The TikTok trend is, in fact, a misguided form of protest. It’s not difficult to connect the dots between the isolation and challenges students have faced in recent years and their feelings of disconnection from their school communities. The issues plaguing our education system long predate the pandemic, and the current student behavior underscores how toxic the school culture has become in America.

Year after year, communities have recognized the need for enhanced mental health support in schools. Yet, time and again, we’ve failed to allocate necessary resources, often leaving it to overburdened educators to cover these gaps. The consequences are dire: anxiety and depression rates among youth are alarmingly high, with one in three adolescents facing anxiety disorders according to the National Institutes of Health.

Students practice lockdown drills regularly, a grim necessity in a world where school shootings have become a tragic reality. The pandemic only exacerbated these issues, as schools faced closures and a shift to virtual learning, further alienating students from their educational experiences.

So why are we surprised when students act out? It’s crucial that we stop pointing fingers at TikTok and start addressing the underlying systemic issues that have led to this behavior. The students are clearly expressing their frustration and despair, and if we continue to ignore them, we can only expect things to worsen.

While I don’t condone vandalism, I recognize it as a signal of a deeper problem—an outcry for help from a generation that feels unheard and unsupported.

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In summary, we need to stop attributing the issues in our schools solely to external trends like TikTok and start addressing the systemic failures that have contributed to a toxic educational environment. The students are not “alright,” and it’s high time we listen to their cries for help.

Keyphrase: School culture issues

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