YORK COUNTY, S.C. Local Charlotte News — The latest TikTok craze has students damaging school property and even striking teachers, but a York County judge says this is not going to fly on his watch.
“If you do something, even if it was meant to be humorous, if it violates the law and is brought into the courtroom, I’m not going to treat you any different because of that,” said York County Family Court Judge David Guyton.
Judge Guyton saw 13 students in his courtroom Tuesday morning after they faced a range of charges stemming from TikTok challenges. He says they will go through an arbitration process this time around but if things get out of hand, consequences could be steep.
“I want to make sure the kids understand how serious this is and get ahead of it and I don’t want them to have a punishment on their record to keep them from having scholarships and jobs,” he said.
Punishments for the larceny and property damage charges could be writing apology letters, deleting TikTok from phones and more, but if the kids follow the October challenge and slap teachers, jail time could be next.
Judge Guyton warns parents to be on the lookout for what their kids are posting online.
“Parents, you do have the authority. These are your phones and not the kids phones. They don’t have a right to them,” he said.
