Dozens of soap dispensers in suburban schools needed replacing after what district officials say was a TikTok-inspired challenge that resulted in more than $1,000 in damages.
A spokesperson for District U-46 confirmed to NBC Chicago that 80 soap dispensers needed to be replaced at schools in Bartlett, Streamwood, Hanover Park, South Elgin and Elgin.
"Nearly all of them have been at our middle or high schools," district spokeswoman Mary Fergus said.
The dispensers cost about $15 each, totaling roughly $1,200 for the district.
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Fergus noted that some students behind the vandalism had been identified and were being disciplined.
Last week, TikTok banned content around the "devious licks" trend, in which students post videos of items they allegedly stole from their schools.
The videos, which began popping up last month, show students taking items, such as wet floor signs, microscopes and clocks, and then describing them as their "devious licks."
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The platform said this kind of content violates its community guidelines, and will be "removing this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior," according to a TikTok spokesperson.
