Latest news with #ChromebookDurabilityTest
Fast Company
15-05-2025
- Fast Company
Teens are still setting fire to Chromebooks for TikTok clout
Students are still setting fire to their Chromebooks for TikTok—and now they're facing the consequences. Fast Company first reported on the #ChromebookChallenge trend last week, following a series of school evacuations caused by students igniting laptop fires. The fires are started by inserting items such as pencils, paper clips, and pushpins into the charging ports of school-issued Chromebooks. This can cause the battery to overheat, potentially sparking a fire or explosion that releases toxic fumes. The #ChromebookChallenge reportedly began in Connecticut and has since spread rapidly. Newington High School was the first to evacuate students on May 1 after a laptop caught fire and the fire department was called. Since then, two students at Southington High School were arrested in connection with a separate laptop fire on May 7. The teens were charged with reckless burning, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, and second-degree breach of peace. On May 8, a Plainville middle school student was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and is now facing criminal charges for deliberately causing the incident. That same day, Belleville High School in New Jersey was evacuated after a laptop fire started outside a classroom. Responding officers and firefighters found a charred Chromebook just outside the building. A 15-year-old student has since been charged with arson and criminal mischief. The trend has spread westward: As of late last week, Denver Public Schools had received 30 reports of students attempting to ignite their laptops, according to Axios. The Colorado Springs Fire Department has reported at least 16 similar incidents. With no sign of the trend slowing, schools across the country—including in California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington—have issued warnings about the reckless challenge. Parents and guardians are also being urged to talk to their children about fire safety and the dangers of blindly following social media trends. A TikTok spokesperson tells Fast Company that it takes down content that violates the platform's Dangerous Activities and Challenges policy. The company is currently working closely with the National PTA to fund programs in high schools about online safety and civility. In addition, searching for the term 'Chromebook challenge' on TikTok brings up a safety warning: 'Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated,' it reads. 'Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being.' However, the trend is still circulating under other hashtags, such as #ChromebookDurabilityTest and #FStudent. Many of these videos go viral, garnering thousands of views and comments from fellow students and baffled adults. The clips often feature a sound bite from fitness podcaster Ben Azoulay: 'The F students are inventors,' Azoulay says. 'They're so creative that they couldn't sit in class.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
What is the 'Chromebook Challenge'? Texas school district warns of dangerous TikTok trend
A dangerous TikTok trend spreading to school districts around the country has made its way into Texas schools. School officials are warning students against the challenge that risks serious injury and damage to school property. Known as the "Chromebook Challenge" or the "Chromebook Durability Test," the trend involves children and teens inserting paper clips or other metal items into the USB port of their school-issued laptops. The act is meant to create sparks and smoke from the Chromebook and may even cause the device to catch on fire. The issue has prompted concern in schools in several states. A 15-year-old New Jersey student has even been charged with third-degree arson and criminal mischief, after his smoking Chromebook forced the entire high school to evacuate. School districts in New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and now Texas are alerting parents of the trend and urging them to warn their children against participating. Hays Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) sent a warning to parents, informing them of the social media challenge responsible for the destruction of school property. According to the Central Texas school district, a total of five Chromebooks had been ruined in under two days. The incidents spanned three schools throughout the district: a high school, a middle school and an elementary school. "Please help us by taking a minute today to mention to your children that if they see this social media challenge that they shouldn't participate," the district's spokesperson, Tim Savoy, said in an email. "Intentional damage to school district devices will lead to an expensive equipment replacement bill for the student, and possibly worse — having to explain to a judge what they were thinking." Students who jam school supplies into the USB ports of their school laptops are risking more than just a fire. Dr. Greg Sugalski, the Hackensack University Medical Center's acting chair of the emergency department, told Yahoo! that the melting plastic can release toxic chemicals into the air. These can irritate students' noses, eyes and lungs. Holding metal to electrical ports can also cause burns. "It can make the computer's lithium ion battery explode and cause a large fire, and there is a risk of smoke inhalation as this trend causes the computer to smoke, burning electrical equipment and plastic," Dr. Sugalski said. While each student can have unique motivations for participating in the "Chromebook Challenge" trend, many have speculated on several possibilities. The most obvious reason students may be hopping on the trend is for social media engagement. Videos of such incidents are flooding TikTok, despite the platform flagging the "#chromebookchallenge" tag and replacing search results with a safety warning. In the case of Connecticut schools forced to evacuate, students may be seeking to disrupt class or get out of doing work. Students may also be engaging in the challenge to get attention, whether from parents and teachers or from other students. They may also mistakenly see the trend as a "harmless" prank. — North Jersey's Kyle Morel contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Chromebook Challenge': Texas schools warn of dangerous TikTok trend
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Dangerous viral trend has students setting laptops on fire, prompting school evacuations
What began as another viral stunt on TikTok has quickly escalated into a national safety concern, with students across the US deliberately setting their laptops on fire as part of a reckless online trend. Dubbed the #ChromebookChallenge, the trend involves inserting conductive objects, such as paper clips, springs, pushpins, or even mechanical pencil lead, into the laptop's charging port. The result? Electrical short circuits that can spark smoke, flames, and school-wide chaos, reported the New York Post. Connecticut has emerged as a hotspot for these incidents, most notably at Newington High School, which had to be evacuated last week after a student's device started spewing smoke. 'The room at the time of the fire was filling with smoke,' Newington fire marshal DJ Zordon told NBC Connecticut. But the trend has spread far beyond the state's borders. Reports have surfaced in school districts across California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington, where officials are warning students and parents of the risks. 'It's more than just a trend,' Zordon said. 'It causes a lot of disruption. The school has to be evacuated, firefighters respond to the firehouse and subsequently to the scene, it takes resources from any other emergencies that might be happening at that time.' On TikTok, variations of the trend exist under names like #ChromebookDurabilityTest and #FStudent. The videos often show students laughing as they sabotage their laptops, waiting for smoke to rise while mocking schoolwork with captions like, 'anything but work.' Also read: Rare behind-the-scenes footage: Emotional moment Pope Leo XIV embraces cardinals after landmark election In Connecticut alone, schools in Southington, Cromwell, Derby, and Newington have all reported similar incidents. In neighbouring East Fishkill, New York, fire officials issued stern warnings after another case surfaced. TikTok has stated that it removed 99.7% of dangerous content proactively from October to December last year. Still, the speed at which this trend has spread has raised questions about the platform's ability to contain harmful challenges. Dangerous acts can be reported under TikTok's 'Dangerous activities and challenges' category, but many say enforcement lags behind viral growth. In the meantime, the consequences are adding up. Schools are facing expensive repairs and significant class disruptions, while local police departments, like in Providence, Rhode Island, are warning that students could face criminal charges for setting their devices alight. Students caught engaging in the trend may also be subject to school disciplinary actions. Also read: Chinese surgeon dismissed after wife exposes affairs with nurse and junior doctor As experts urge parents to discuss the serious risks with their children, educators are scrambling to stay ahead of a trend that's spreading faster than they can contain it.
New York Post
08-05-2025
- New York Post
Dangerous social media craze encourages kids to set their laptops on fire — causing chaos in schools
Forget harmless pranks — TikTok's latest trend has students setting their Chromebooks ablaze, sparking school evacuations and safety warnings across the country. Known as the #ChromebookChallenge, the dangerous stunt encourages kids to jam metal objects, like paper clips and pushpins, into the charging ports of their laptops, causing electrical short circuits that can ignite fires. Connecticut is ground zero for the reckless trend, with Newington High School evacuated last week after a student's laptop started spewing toxic smoke. Advertisement 6 Move over, harmless pranks — TikTok's latest craze has students turning their Chromebooks into fire hazards, triggering school evacuations and safety alerts nationwide. Henry – 'The room at the time of the fire was filling with smoke,' Newington fire marshal DJ Zordon said, as reported by NBC Connecticut. 'The batteries that are essentially catching on fire, once they burn, they're producing this toxic smoke.' Advertisement The unsettling phenomenon isn't just confined to the Nutmeg State. Schools across California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington have issued warnings about the trend, which sees students inserting mechanical pencil lead, aluminum foil, and other conductive items into Chromebook ports. 'It's more than just a trend,' Zordon continued. 6 Dubbed the #ChromebookChallenge, the reckless stunt dares kids to shove metal objects — like paper clips and pushpins — into their laptop charging ports, sparking dangerous short circuits. @sl1desh0wz2/TikTok Advertisement 'It causes a lot of disruption. The school has to be evacuated, firefighters respond to the firehouse and subsequently to the scene, it takes resources from any other emergencies that might be happening at that time.' On TikTok, the trend goes by other names like #ChromebookDurabilityTest and #FStudent, with some videos racking up thousands of views in mere hours. 6 Connecticut is the epicenter of the dangerous trend, with Newington High School evacuated last week after a student's laptop started belching toxic smoke. NBC Clips show kids cackling as they jam springs and pins into their laptops, waiting for smoke to billow out — all for a few moments of viral fame and comments like, 'anything but work,' mocking that they'd rather torch their Chromebooks than do schoolwork. Advertisement And the consequences are mounting, as NBC Connecticut noted. In Southington, Connecticut, students at Southington High School were evacuated on May 7 after another Chromebook fire, fire officials said. 6 Videos show kids laughing as they shove springs and pins into their laptops, waiting for smoke to pour out — all for a shot at viral fame and quips like, 'anything but work,' joking they'd rather torch their Chromebooks than hit the books. @Dangerous TikTok trend sees students set their laptops on fire/TikTok Similar incidents have been reported in Cromwell, Derby, and Newington, Connecticut, as well as East Fishkill, New York, prompting stern warnings from state fire officials. But the chaos isn't just about a few kids seeking attention. Videos of the trend have flooded TikTok's For You page, and school officials are struggling to keep up. 6 It's not just a handful of attention-seekers causing chaos — TikTok's For You page is flooded with videos of the trend, leaving school officials scrambling to keep up. NBC According to TikTok, 99.7% of dangerous content flagged from October to December last year was removed proactively, but the platform still faces criticism for how quickly such trends spread. Advertisement TikTok allows users to report dangerous content through its 'Dangerous activities and challenges' category, but that hasn't stopped the spread. And for school districts, the fallout is costly — from potential fines for damaged equipment to missed class time due to evacuations. 6 TikTok users can flag risky content under its 'Dangerous activities and challenges' category, but that hasn't slowed the spread. Meanwhile, schools are paying the price — from costly device repairs to lost class time during evacuations. @schoolshenanigans05/TikTok Advertisement For now, experts are urging parents to talk to their kids about the risks — and schools to enforce strict punishments for those caught participating. Police in Providence, Rhode Island, warned WJAR that students torching their Chromebooks for TikTok clout could be hit with school punishments — and maybe even criminal charges. But with the TikTok trend still spreading like wildfire, let's hope it's not too late to put this blaze out.
