ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

School toilets have been vandalised across the US and Canada as part of a destructive new TikTok challenge that has been trending among students.

And some educational establishments have been forced to close their washrooms for part of the day in response to the trend.

The "Devious Licks" challenge began on September 1 when a TikTok user posted a video showing a box of disposable masks that had apparently stolen from a school. The video was captioned: "A month into school... devious lick" and similar videos using the term "devious lick" soon began flooding the platform.

The trend has now spread across the US and Canada with washroom items having been either stolen or vandalised including soap and paper towel dispensers, mirrors, floor and ceiling tiles and even urinals and sinks.

One education board in Calgary, Canada, claims toilet locks have been broken and red food colouring has been sprayed on to lavatory seats in response to the challenge. "We are tired of repeatedly closing washrooms every day," claims the Calgary Board of Education. "It costs time and money, and inconveniences those students who just need to use the washroom."

TikTok has responded by removing many videos from its platform. When searching the term "devious licks" TikTok users now receive the message: "No results found. This phrase may be associated with behaviour or content that violates our guidelines."

And after the media backlash, some TikTok users have begun participating in a counter-trend known as "angelic yields" whereby pupils anonymously donate items such as bottles of soap and toilet rolls to replace products stolen during a "devious lick".