Recently, students nationally have been participating in dangerous chromebook challenges, stemming from viral TikTok trend.
This viral TikTok trend shows students inserting pencil led into the USB of chromebooks causing the chromebook to spark, overheat, smoke, and inevitably start fires. This particular smoke produces dangerous chemicals, can be harmful to breathe in and has even caused schools to be evacuated. It’s clear that these mishaps are not ‘malfunctions’ but intentional damages caused by the students.
This is happening locally, too. For example, last week in Marblehead, students at Marblehead High School shoved a paperclip into the USB port of a chromebook, resulting in an evacuation. Students who commit these acts can be charged with arson.
Cases have been reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. In one instance, the Boulder Valley school district in Colorado has seen the first offence on May 2nd. The chromebook was moved after the offence and melted in the hallway. Elementary school students have even taken part in this. On May 6th and 7th, broomfield elementary and middle school reported smoking laptops.
Schools including Danvers High school, have sent out emails to parents warning them of the dangers and consequences of participating in this ‘trend’. Administrators have informed parents that the damage of school equipment costs money to repair, in hope to have conversations with their children about the consequences.
When a piece of metal or led is inserted into the USB port, it causes a reaction due to the battery being smashed. Battery health, charging, and the overall functioning of chromebooks are affected by the produced smoke. This is damage to school property, which is the head for fines, suspensions and even arrests have occurred.
This trend’s popularity has spread via TikTok. Videos frequently handle the caption, “The F students are inventors” this all began when social media personal, Ben Azoulay posted a short video to the TikTok platform stating “Students who get all F’s are the inventors!” Saying students who are failing are ‘too creative to sit in school and learn.’ When this short came out to the public people didn’t take it seriously. Students then began to caption funny videos saying “F students are the inventors!” to reference Ben Azoulay’s short to make fun of him. It became more dangerous when students started to put led in chromebooks implying that this is what ‘F students’ would do. Gradually it became a trend and many kids were jumping on this bandwagon putting them and other students in danger.
