Some of you may have heard of a recent “challenge” circulating social media urging students to “get their licks.” Termed, “devious lick,” the term/phrase has been around for a while, but here’s what you need to know.
What does "lick" mean on social media?
‘Got This Devious Lick From School’ or ‘One Month Into School And Got This Absolute Devious Lick’ refers to a trend on TikTok where users film themselves pulling supposedly stolen school supplies out of their backpacks with a variation on the phrase "first day of school copped a devious lick." It has also evolved to include vandalism without theft of items. The word "devious" is often replaced with another word like "diabolical" or "godforsaken," usually intended to be tongue-in-cheek. The trend began on TikTok in early September 2021.
The original video on TikTok now has over 11 million views and many recreations. Students nationwide are stealing things from their campuses like soap dispensers, toilet paper holders, microscopes, signs, a box of hand sanitizer, and more, all to the same audio. The trend is also spreading outside of schools to stores, movie theaters and more.
This is happening all over the country, and unfortunately, Framingham Public Schools are not immune from such vandalism and theft, and that is why we are reaching out. For schools (ours and others) to replace these items is very costly and takes precious time away from other priorities. Beyond this, our custodial team works very hard to serve our student population and keep our campuses clean and safe; especially with the increased risks from COVID-19.
If your child uses social media, please talk to him/her/them about being socially responsible and kind; this “challenge” is criminal behavior, not an innocent prank. Even if your child does not have social media, he/she/they may likely hear about this disturbing trend. Let’s work together to put a stop to this now. We are asking for the entire FPS community to partner with us to eliminate this behavior on our campuses. If you have any information regarding these incidents or questions about this matter, please contact any administrator/principal. We look forward to your continued partnership, and your support of Framingham Public Schools; we are better together!
