School districts across the area have been issuing a warning to parents about a TikTok trend that could cause student Chromebooks to spark or catch fire.
In an email to parents in Marshall County, administrators said that some on the social media app are placing conductive items into the USB port on the device. Those conductive items, such as pushpins, paperclips, pencil graphite, aluminum foil, or metallic gum wrappers, could cause sparks or even make the computer short-circuit.
That could lead to the device's lithium-ion battery catching fire or even exploding. The release indicated that multiple incidents caused serious damage to computers, started fires, and even forced schools to evacuate because of these incidents.
Administrators said that teachers would be reiterating how dangerous the trend is and that it could lead to disciplinary action. They indicated that they want parents to be aware of the situation so they can reinforce the message.
Photo was attached to an email to parents in Marshall County. The Chromebook pictured is said to be one from this area that was damaged by the trend.
