PARENTS could cop a $304 fine if their children are involved in a potentially lethal new TikTok dare.
The warning about kids’ copycat behavior comes after a boy was allegedly fatally shot by a homeowner while recording a TikTok prank video.
Students have been filmed taking part in the so-called Chromebook challenge on the social media platform, to deliberately set their laptops ablaze.
Kids have been inserting metal items – such as paper clips – into the USB port on their school-issued laptops.
This tampering causes the laptop to short-circuit, emit smoke, and even catch fire.
The dangerous dare has already resulted in a 15-year-old New Jersey student being charged with arson, reported NBC News.
Incidents have occurred where schools were evacuated due to the “serious safety hazard,” according to Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland.
It said, “In addition to posing serious safety hazards, these actions can lead to costly repairs and disciplinary consequences.
“We have seen a few incidents related to the Chromebook challenge in our district.”
Worried education authorities up and down the country have warned parents and kids about the huge danger posed by the stunt.
Alexandria City Public Schools in Virginia have issued a letter to parents warning they’ll be fined for kids’ bad behavior.
The school district stated, “Students who intentionally damage a Chromebook in this way will be responsible for the full replacement cost of the device, which is $304. We do not take this matter lightly.”
Jared Latimer, a parent in Loudoun County, Virginia, told Fox 5, “Lighting your computer on fire sounds very foolish.”
He mentioned that his children were prohibited from using social media at a young age to allow their brains to “develop a little further before they are glued to a screen.”
TOXIC SMOKE
Newington High School, in Newington, Connecticut, was evacuated just last week after a student’s laptop started emitting toxic smoke.
“The room at the time of the fire was filling with smoke,” Newington fire marshal DJ Zordon told NBC Connecticut.
Parents warned of $304 fines for damaged laptops
Alexandria City Public Schools in Virginia have issued a letter to parents which says they must cover the full cost of school Chromebooks which have been tampered with
The officials said, “Students found to have intentionally damaged a Chromebook in this manner will be charged the full replacement cost of the device, which is $304.
“This is not a matter we take lightly.”
Zordon added, “The batteries that are essentially catching on fire; once they burn, they’re producing this toxic smoke.
“It’s more than just a trend. It causes a lot of disruption.
“The school has to be evacuated, firefighters respond to the fire house and subsequently to the scene, it takes resources from any other emergencies that might be happening at that time.”
Students were also put in danger at nearby Derby High and Cromwell High Schools in Connecticut, where disruptive evacuations were also carried out.
Cromwell Fire Chief Jason Brade said, “The hallways were filling with smoke.”
EXPLOSION
Cromwell Fire Marshal Harold Holmes warned, “It can cause an explosion.
“It could have potentially burned somebody – shrapnel could have hit other people if it exploded.”
Holmes added that firefighters found the Chromebook’s “battery cover was melted away, and the battery was smoking.”
What is the Chromebook Challenge on TikTok?
Wake County Public School System in North Carolina has issued this guidance to parents:
“We are reaching out today with an urgent request for your partnership in addressing a dangerous trend circulating on social media platforms like TikTok.
“Some students across the country — and unfortunately, some incidents have already been reported in our own schools — have been participating in a challenge that involves intentionally damaging school-issued Chromebooks to make them smoke.
“This behavior is extremely dangerous, poses serious safety risks, and is a direct violation of both school policy and state law.
“Specifically, students are inserting items such as pencil lead, pushpins, gum wrappers, or paperclips into the Chromebook’s USB port to intentionally short-circuit the device.
“This can cause the Chromebook to emit smoke, catch fire, damage electrical outlets, or even electrocute the student.
“Intentionally damaging school property or creating unsafe conditions is a serious offense and may result in disciplinary action at school as well as legal consequences under North Carolina law.
“Such actions can also lead to criminal charges depending on the severity of the incident and the risk posed to others.”
Dr Maureen Brummett, superintendent of Newington Public Schools, told the broadcaster it was “clear that the damage was done intentionally.”
She said it would be up to students to pay for to replace the ruined school Chromebooks, as the devices “are expensive”.
The hallways were filling with smoke
Plus, insurance won’t cough up the price for a new one when the laptops are intentionally destroyed.
A spokesperson for TikTok told NBC News that the videos were not exclusive to their platform, and that search terms like “Chromebook Challenge” have been blocked.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Google and TikTok for comment on the dare.
The latter removes content that violates the platform’s “dangerous activities and challenges” policy.
It also limits users’ ability to search for this type of content by redirecting related search terms and hashtags to its community guidelines page.
FATALLY SHOT
The fire service and school district warnings come after a high school football star was allegedly fatally shot by a homeowner.
Michael Bosworth Jr., 18, and two pals were taking part in a “ding-dong ditch” challenge hours before his school prom in Virginia.
Homeowner Tyler Chase Butler, 27, allegedly shot at Bosworth and his two friends after they banged on his door while playing a video prank early Saturday.
He allegedly told detectives that he feared the three teenagers were trying to break into his house at 3:00 a.m., according to police documents.
Bosworth’s friends – who both survived – reportedly both told police they had come under fire while recording ding-dong ditch pranks for a TikTok video.
This challenge involves pranksters walking to a home, banging on their door or ringing their doorbell, and then dashing away before the occupants open the door.
