Long Beach has recently fallen victim to a national trend of kids shorting out their school laptops by jamming pins, paperclips and other items into charging ports, according to officials at the Long Beach Unified School District.
The trend, known as the “Chromebook challenge,” has been spreading on TikTok where young people have been posting videos of themselves causing smoke – and sometimes flames — to pour out of their laptops in the classroom.
“Today, one student was arrested for arson following such an incident,” the Long Beach Unified School District said in an unsigned email to parents on Thursday. “Recent cases have triggered fire alarms and led to classroom evacuations, putting our school communities at risk and disrupting learning.”
It’s not clear exactly how frequently this is happening locally. The district said it has happened at “a few of our schools.”
School officials declined to say at which campus the student was arrested Thursday. Police said it was a 13-year-old at Perry Lindsey Academy. Nobody was hurt during the incident, LBPD spokesperson Alyssa Baeza said.
Long Beach Unified asked parents “to speak with their children about the dangers of participating in social media challenges. These unsafe actions can result in significant disciplinary action and serious legal consequences.”
Other school districts across the country have issued similar warnings. And at least one other student is facing arson charges in New Jersey, NBC reported.
TikTok, meanwhile, has redirected any searches of “Chromebook Challenge” to a message about recognizing “harmful challenges” to “protect your health and well-being.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated with more details from police about the arrest.