A U.S. Senator Is Demanding TikTok Do Something About This 'Devious Licks' Nonsense

Senator Dick Blumenthal has seen the videos of hooligan teenagers swiping objects from schools as part of the Devious Licks trend and will simply not stand for it. The Democratic senator from Connecticut has written a letter to TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal sends a letter to the CEO of TikTok urging him to "delete videos, ban users, and restrict hashtags" in response to the "devious licks" bathroom challenge: pic.twitter.com/XwF9aSAnTl

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) September 21, 2021

"You have a responsibility to delete videos, ban users, and restrict hashtags that glorify property damage and threats to school safety to prevent this destructive behavior from spreading," wrote Blumenthal. "While TikTok has taken steps to remove these videos, these actions were too little, too late and do not make up for the damage to schools across the country."

TikTok recently scrubbed all videos related to Devious Licks, but not before it grew widely popular, with the challenge escalating from students swiping boxes of masks and soap dispensers to expensive equipment such as microscopes and computers. The Angelic Yields trend arose in response, showing teens returning the things they'd stolen, and those remain on TikTok.

While it's not too surprising that a politician would get involved with a widespread trend of petty theft among teenagers, the news nevertheless elicited some chuckles online, as the government trying to step in on teens' good time is never a great look.

tricky dick tackles devious licks https://t.co/SDkznGtmT5

— Scott Nover (@ScottNover) September 21, 2021

For more on Devious Licks, watch our video covering the trend: