• The 'Chromebook Challenge' involves students damaging Chromebooks, resulting in fires and evacuations in schools across multiple states.
• School and police officials are issuing warnings to parents and students about the dangers and consequences of participating in the trend.
• Students caught participating in the challenge may face disciplinary action, financial liability for damages, and potential criminal charges, including vandalism and arson.

A concerning trend known as the 'Chromebook Challenge' has emerged on TikTok, prompting students to intentionally damage their school-issued Chromebooks. This involves inserting objects like paper clips, pencils, or other conductive materials into the charging ports, causing the devices to short-circuit, overheat, smoke, or even catch fire. The trend has led to school evacuations, warnings from school and police officials, and concerns among parents about the safety and potential legal consequences for students involved.

• What: Students are damaging school-issued Chromebooks by inserting foreign objects into charging ports or otherwise tampering with the devices, causing short circuits, overheating, smoke, and fires.
• Who: Students participating in the 'Chromebook Challenge,' school administrators, fire officials, police departments, and parents.
• When: Incidents and warnings occurred in early May 2025. The trend is ongoing and evolving on social media platforms.
• Where: Schools across Connecticut (Newington, Cromwell, Derby, Rocky Hill, Bristol), Pennsylvania (Nazareth Area), and Rhode Island (Cumberland).

The 'Chromebook Challenge' represents a dangerous and disruptive trend with potentially severe consequences. The incidents of fires and evacuations highlight the real safety risks involved, while the warnings from school and police officials underscore the potential legal and financial ramifications for students who participate. The trend also reveals the challenges of monitoring and addressing harmful content on social media platforms. The fact that TikTok displays a warning when the challenge is searched suggests an awareness of the issue, but the incidents continue to occur, indicating that more proactive measures may be needed.

This behavior is extremely dangerous and poses serious safety risks—not only to the student involved, but also to others nearby.

The batteries that are essentially catching on fire, once they burn, they’re producing this toxic smoke.

There’s some serious consequences to it, and you could seriously get hurt.

What may seem like a ‘fun experiment’ online can quickly turn into something much more serious.

The 'Chromebook Challenge' is a concerning trend that poses significant risks to students, schools, and communities. While schools and law enforcement are taking steps to address the issue through warnings and potential disciplinary action, the ongoing nature of the trend suggests the need for continued vigilance and proactive measures to educate students and parents about the dangers of online challenges and the importance of responsible technology use. Monitoring children's online activity has also become paramount in curtailing the trend.