SOUTH SALT LAKE — A local school district is warning parents and employees about a concerning new trend on the TikTok app.
The new "challenges" encourage students to sexually harass fellow students or to assault school employees, according to a letter sent out by the Granite School District in Salt Lake County.
District leaders did not give further details on what the challenges entail, but Newsweek and other news outlets report that it's called "slap a teacher," or sometimes more specifically, "smack a staff member on the backside." It's reportedly a challenge for the month of October.
This comes after students caused significant damage by stealing items from their schools in a challenge called "devious licks," both in Utah and across the country.
But the district says the two trends are happening simultaneously with theft and destruction of school property still happening — at all levels of school, including elementary and junior high.
The district asks parents to make sure their children know that doing either of these is a crime and could lead to serious consequences.
"In the interest of our staff and students safety, such acts will be aggressively investigated and charged and invariably, when convicted, students and families will be responsible to compensate for damages," the letter read.
The district is also encouraging students to keep an eye out for these challenges happening and to report them, saying that "the eyes and ears of our students continue to be the best tool in helping keep our students safe."
Students who witness these acts are advised to tell a trusted adult, or they can anonymously report them directly to the district's police department at 801-481-7122. They can also report these incidents on the SafeUT app.
