Chromebook Challenge Kids are short-circuiting their school-issued Chromebooks for TikTok clout One participant is reportedly facing criminal charges in juvenile court. Scharon Harding – May 9, 2025 12:19 pm | 11 A shot from a Chromebook Challenge video uploaded to TikTok. Credit: lemondinos/TikTok A shot from a Chromebook Challenge video uploaded to TikTok. Credit: lemondinos/TikTok Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Schools across the US are warning parents about an Internet trend that has students purposefully trying to damage their school-issued Chromebooks so that they start smoking or catch fire. Various school districts, including some in Colorado, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington, have sent letters to parents warning about the trend that’s largely taken off on TikTok. Per reports from school districts and videos that Ars Technica has reviewed online, the so-called Chromebook Challenge includes students sticking things into Chromebook ports to short-circuit the system. Students are using various easily accessible items to do this, including writing utensils, paper clips, gum wrappers, and pushpins. The Chromebook challenge has caused chaos for US schools, leading to laptop fires that have forced school evacuations, early dismissals, and the summoning of first responders. Schools are also warning that damage to school property can result in disciplinary action and, in some states, legal action. In Plainville, Connecticut, a middle schooler allegedly “intentionally stuck scissors into a laptop, causing smoke to emit from it,” Superintendent Brian Reas told local news station WFSB. The incident reportedly led to one student going to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and is suspected to be connected to the viral trend. “Although the investigation is ongoing, the student involved will be referred to juvenile court to face criminal charges,” Reas said. Recently, TikTok banned the search term “Chromebook Challenge," Ars confirmed. Searching for the term brings up a message that reads: Your safety matters Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated. Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being. The message includes a link to a page telling users how to “assess challenges” on the platform. TikTok has said that the Chromebook Challenge is on other social media platforms as well. Google didn’t respond to Ars Technica’s request for comment. This isn’t the first dangerous Internet sensation closely associated with TikTok. In 2022, for example, TikTok helped catapult the Kia Challenge, which led to uprisings in Kia and Hyundai thefts, as well as a $200 million class-action lawsuit settlement from the car manufacturers. There was also the Blackout Challenge, where people tried to choke themselves until they lost consciousness, and the Fire Challenge, where people poured flammable liquids on themselves and then set the liquids on fire. Parents and psychiatrists have been trying to wrap their heads around how some of the more dangerous Internet trends take off, especially among kids. A Viewpoint published by a pair of University of Tennessee Health Science Center at Memphis psychiatrists in JAMA Psychiatry in November highlighted the complexities of trying to decipher if children who participate in such risky TikTok trends are looking to hurt themselves. TikTok challenges are an "emerging public health concern” for children, the psychiatrists wrote. Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Tom’s Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK. 11 Comments