At least one incident regarding someone intentionally short-circuiting a school-issued Chromebook is under investigation in Grayson County.
“Parents please be aware of viral tik tok challenges,” the Leitchfield Police Department said in a social media post. “Talk to your kids. You can find out about them from a simple google search. We currently have one, involving chromebooks, that is affecting our schools and our SROs will be investigating the incidents.”
The challenge in question is called the “Chromebook challenge” where teens stuff objects such as paper clips or pencils into the USB port of a laptop. This action causes the device to short-circuit and sometimes catch fire.
“You should know that if any of these ‘challenges’ result in property damage, personal injury, or other adverse effects your child could be charged with misdemeanor or felony offenses and through prosecution you (the parents) may be responsible for paying restitution for damages,” according to Leitchfield police.
(Photo: A laptop burned in a TikTok “Chromebook challenge,” courtesy of Forbes.com)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
