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Viral 'Chromebook challenge' prompts warnings from school districts

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Published  May 9, 2025 12:08pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX Local
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FILE - Chromebooks at Newfield Elementary School in Stamford, Connecticut. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

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The Brief

    • The latest teen challenge on social media is causing damage to school property – and fires that sent at least one student to the hospital.
    • The "Chromebook challenge" on TikTok encourages students to jam metal objects like paperclips and pencils into charging ports, which can cause permanent damage, electrical shorts and fire hazards.
    • Now, school districts are urging parents to talk to their kids.

School districts across the country are issuing warnings to parents to discourage their kids from taking part in a new dangerous trend on social media. 

The TikTok "Chromebook challenge," named after the Google line of laptops that school districts often distribute to students, encourages students to damage school-issued laptops by jamming metal objects, such as paperclips or pencils, into charging ports. The act can cause electrical shorts, sparks or even fires.

A middle school student in Connecticut was hospitalized after a fire started by the "Chromebook challenge." According to WFSB, the school had to be evacuated and the injured student is now facing criminal charges in juvenile court. 

‘Chromebook challenge’ concerns

What they're saying:

 "Apparently, some kids may think this is funny or a joke or harmless prank... but the problem is not only does it cause significant physical damage to the device and ultimately it's going to cost the parents a little money," Daniel Adams of Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia told FOX 5 DC. "But if they're sparking or smoking near paper or curtains you could ultimately end up in a fire... cause injury to the students or others... and just it's really unsafe and so we're quite concerned so we want to get that information out to our families."

RELATED: China backed out of TikTok deal after Trump tariffs announcement

The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District in the Bay Area of California sent a letter to parents after at least one school reported damage to a classroom electrical outlet as a result of the challenge, KTVU reports. 

""We take this issue very seriously as it can not only result in the destruction of valuable school property, but more importantly, poses significant personal safety risks including the potential for electric shock, burns or other injuries," the district said in the letter. 

The other side:

A TikTok spokesperson told LiveNow from FOX that the videos are not exclusive to their platform, and "chromebook challenge" search results have been blocked. Any videos that violate their "dangerous activities and challenges" policy are removed. 

Google was also not immediately available for comment. 

The Source: This report includes information from KTVU, FOX 5 DC, NBC News and WFSB. 

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