Harris County Fire Marshals Office warns against Chromebook Tiktok challenge
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Schools across the country are issuing a warning about a new TikTok trend. It calls for students to essentially set fire to their laptops.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office says it responded to similar incidents, with reports of it happening at Spring ISD, Klein ISD and Aldine ISD.
According to that office, this is how the "Chromebook Challenge" works. Students stick metal objects into a USB port, and cause the computer to start smoking.
The Fire Marshal's Office said there have been six cases here, all involving juveniles, some of whom have been charged now with criminal mischief.
Klein ISD told ABC13 they sent out a letter to parents asking them to discuss this with their kids. The letter adds that doing this could also lead to expulsion and a financial obligation to replace a broken device that belongs to the district.
Needless to say, the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office does not condone the trend.
"Sticking that foreign object causes an electrical malfunction specifically with the battery," said Kyle Pulley with the Harris County Fire Marshall's Office. "It causes flames... and toxic gases, which are harmful."
Pulley said most of the kids in Harris County that have done this are junior high aged. He adds that they haven't shown a lot of remorse.
