A dangerous TikTok trend encouraging students to vandalize school-issued Chromebooks has prompted a districtwide warning from Unit 5’s IT Department.

Known online as the “Chromebook Challenge,” the trend instructs students to insert pencil lead, staples, paper clips or other conductive materials into USB or charging ports, causing electrical shorts. The resulting sparks and smoke can ignite fires, damage internal components and potentially injure students.

While typical Chromebook damage may result in a $350 replacement fee, Unit 5 officials emphasized that this type of destruction is considered intentional and falls outside standard repair coverage. 

According to the district’s vendor, Xerox IT Solutions ChromeCare Team, the damage is classified as “intentional and malicious,” voiding warranty protection and disqualifying affected devices from the ChromeCare plan. Devices exhibiting signs of tampering—such as scorch marks or melted plastic—will be quarantined and students billed for full-cost repairs.

Students involved in the trend could also face disciplinary referrals, loss of device privileges and potential legal consequences under district handbook policy.

“This is not just a prank—it’s a real fire hazard,” Unit 5 IT technician Mr. Sean Kerr said. “A lot of what you’re seeing on TikTok right now is people using lead, which is conductive, and it’s shorting out the computer. It’s causing different levels of distress, including lithium battery fires, which are highly combustible.”

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, lithium-ion batteries—used in Chromebooks and other electronic devices—can overheat, ignite or explode when damaged.  Fire incidents involving lithium-ion batteries can involve “thermal runaway,” a chain reaction of intense, self-sustaining heat that is difficult to extinguish and may cause secondary fires or reignite after being put out.

Kerr, who has repaired Unit 5 devices since 2012, said the flammability of lithium-ion batteries can “cause extreme property damage.” To illustrate the potential cost, he cited a recent, unrelated fire at Normal West that required more than $70,000 in cleanup and repairs.

It might seem “funny in the moment,” Kerr said, “but you could cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage, injure others and create legal issues that follow you into adulthood. We don’t want to start our adult lives with charges against us because we thought something was hilarious.”

Though TikTok has removed many of the original videos and blocked related hashtags, alternate phrases have kept the trend alive. The videos often trivialize the behavior with captions like “STEM majors in reverse.”

“This is a serious issue that we’re seeing across the district,” the Unit 5 IT Department stated in an email to staff. “We want to make sure everyone understands the risks and the consequences.”

At Community, assistant principal Mrs. Wendy Davis said no incidents related to the trend have been reported as of May 13.