A Long Beach middle school student has been arrested for allegedly destroying a Chromebook computer, leading to a fire that caused an evacuation of Perry Lindsey Academy, authorities said.
The 13-year-old is accused by the school district of damaging the laptop as part of the “Chromebook Challenge,” a TikTok trend in which students intentionally jam lead or metal objects into the ports of a Chromebook, causing it to short-circuit and, in some instances, cause sparks, smoke and fire.
Long Beach police were called to the campus, at 5075 Daisy Ave., just past 10:35 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, LBPD spokeswoman Alyssa Baeza said.
Officers arrived and learned an arson had occurred inside a classroom, Baeza said, with the teenage girl arrested.
A Long Beach Unified School District spokesperson said on Tuesday, May 13, that the act was part of a social-media challenge and that the student “used a foreign object to damage a district-issued Chromebook, triggering the school’s evacuation and a response from the local Fire Department.”
No injuries were reported and only the computer was damaged, the district said.
A message to parents and guardians was recently sent by the district “urging them to speak with their children about the dangers of participating in social-media challenges that promote unsafe or destructive behavior,” the district said.
A search of “Chromebook Challenge” on TikTok turned up a message by the social-media app labeled, “Your safety matters.”
“Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated,” the message said. “Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being.”
The cost of a Chromebook is $250, the district said. It was unclear whether the teenager’s parents would be financially responsible for a replacement.
When asked, the district spokesperson answered, “Due to the confidentiality of student matters, we are unable to disclose the requested information.”