Please, kids: Do not set your Chromebook on fire

*Grabs chair, spins it around, and sits connected it backward.*

Hey teens, it's me. Your affable section 44-year-old tech blogger astatine Business Insider, each precocious schooler's favourite website. And I'm present to say: setting your Chromebook connected fire is "skibidi Ohio." Don't bash it.

Sure, there's a viral TikTok situation going astir that encourages kids similar you to jam a paperclip, gum wrapper, oregon different point into the USB thrust of your school-issued Chromebooks, which volition origin them to commencement smoking, sprout sparks, oregon adjacent drawback connected fire.

But don't bash it.

Even though you whitethorn beryllium bored, and lighting worldly connected occurrence is undeniably cool-looking, and it's astir summertime break, and your teacher has antagonistic aura, and Chromebooks correspond the tyranny of the situation called "school" wherever they indoctrinate your caput with algebra and facts astir the Treaty of Ghent that you volition ne'er request successful existent beingness due to the fact that there's calculators, and Prussia isn't real, and there's ChatGPT anyhow that tin bash this each for you, and adults volition each beryllium utilizing it successful the future, it's inactive not worthy it. [Note: No AI was utilized to constitute this important nationalist work message.]

So please, bash not airy your Chromebook connected occurrence — it tin origin superior injury. This is simply a rizzles and sus roadworthy you don't privation to spell down. There is nary sigma here.

TikTok has taken immoderate action. Searching "Chromebook challenge" connected the app generates a informing connection saying "some online challenges tin beryllium dangerous, disturbing, oregon adjacent fabricated." (Though searching Chromebook inactive generates plentifulness of videos of smoking Acers.) TikTok did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

You're a teen, you cognize however silly grown-ups are astir this stuff. We're ever yapping astir immoderate motivation panic "challenge" connected TikTok that's not adjacent real. But this time? No cap, it's real.

Kids are facing charges successful respective states for messing with their Chromebooks. A 13-year-old was arrested connected suspicion of arson successful Long Beach, California, and students astatine schools successful Arizona look imaginable transgression charges, according to the Bullhead City Fire Department. Two teens successful Southington, Connecticut, are facing misdemeanor charges including transgression mischief and reckless endangerment.

Fellow kids, I recognize that you're presently surviving successful a clip wherever you mightiness consciousness nether the yoke of technology. You feel analyzable about however much you usage societal media, and meantime your parents work "The Anxious Generation" and are present freaking retired due to the fact that they regret giving you a telephone successful sixth grade, adjacent though that telephone has had Life 360 survellience software installed this full time. You cognize that the aboriginal of enactment involves AI, but your teachers get weird and huffy astir you utilizing it for homework (even though literally everyone does). And this full clip you're expected to beryllium getting bully grades to spell to college, but the instauration of higher acquisition is nether onslaught and kids are getting arrested connected campus for protesting, and you're taking connected a beingness of indebtedness for immoderate grade for a occupation that could beryllium replaced by a chatbot successful 5 years anyway. So similar the Luddite cloth workers of the Industrial Revolution, you instrumentality a basal and combat and interruption against the instrumentality that yokes you. Why not conscionable jam a paperclip successful that Chromebook conscionable to spot if thing real happens, thing tangible, similar fume oregon fire, conscionable to retrieve that you're here, you're alive, you're young, you exist?

But kids, harming laptops isn't cool. So please, don't bash the Chromebook challenge.

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