In early May, a new audio went viral from the “business and fitness” influencer Ben Azoulay on his TikTok account. In the viral short, Azoulay says, “The F students are inventors,” then praises them as creative mavericks. In response, there has been a fad of sticking things like gum wrappers and pencils into Chromebook ports or outlets to short-circuit them.
While Azoulay intended to encourage F students to be true to themselves, the resulting craze has caused destruction of Chromebooks and electrical sockets and injury to students in many schools, including ours. According to Librarian Lisa Gore, four Chromebooks and two electrical sockets have been damaged because of the mania. English teacher Satin Abtahi, who had an incident in her class, feels that if students are going to complain about negative aspects at school, they should not pull stunts like this.
“It’s sort of a ‘this is why we can’t have nice things’ situation,” Abtahi said, “I think it’s kind of ridiculous that it’s because of an online trend, I think that kids should think for themselves and not follow these trends.” Abtahi’s last point about “being a follower” of these fads is particularly ironic because the original audio describes “F students,” as innovative non-conformists, yet following the movement itself is an act of conformity.
According to a Poway student who was hurt in this craze, he was shocked after sticking a metal object into a socket and had to go to the hospital because of the burns he sustained. This fad is not only destructive and dangerous for students and schools, but in a time where our district is in a $28 million shortfall, it hurts the budget too. Of course, students who destroy district property are fined for it, and as far as Chromebooks go, to replace a Chromebook, students must pay $298.
“I would highly advise students not to [destroy their Chromebook], there are more fun ways to spend your money than another district-issued Chromebook,” Assistant Principal Cindy Lewis said.
The craze is reminiscent of the devious lick trend, which mostly occurred in 2021, where students would steal or destroy things from school and post them online. It’s sad to say we’ve grown little since then.
Engaging in such schemes not only shows weakness in students’ mental constitution as individuals but also a disregard for the well-being of organizations greater than themselves. If students choose to think critically and choose not to participate in such activities, our school could be a safer and more peaceful place.
