‘Reckless behavior’: Teachers terrified by ‘Chromebook Challenge’ as students turn school laptops into incendiary bombs

Wake up honey, the latest TikTok trend just dropped! In what feels like a bad omen for the state of the education system, students up and down the nation are apparently taking school-issued Chromebook laptops and attempting to turn them into incendiary devices.

Worryingly, this is easier than you’d think. As per Newsweek, if you shove a paperclip or pencil into the USB charging port of a Chromebook, it causes a short-circuit, leaving the device emitting sparks, smoking, and potentially catching fire. As pointed out in the article, each laptop contains a lithium battery, which can overheat, begin releasing toxic gas, and then potentially explode.

Here’s what the aftermath of such an incident can look like:

Are kids not aware that this trend will get you in serious trouble??? It is also extremely dangerous 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️#ChromebookChallenge#LedinChromebook pic.twitter.com/IiQpMgX8Ua

— Iceburg 🥶 (@Iceburg_music) May 12, 2025

The thinking behind this is that a smouldering laptop that may suddenly explode will mean the class (and let’s face it, probably the entire school) will have to evacuate, thus disrupting lessons and resulting in online fame.

Reports have come in from incidents across the country, including in Colorado, New York, Connecticut, California, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. Fire departments are getting involved, with Maryland’s State Fire Marshal, releasing a statement that they’re:

“Alerting the public to a concerning new trend circulating on social media. Students insert electrically conductive objects into the charging ports of school-issued and personal electronic devices. This reckless behavior has been linked to several incidents resulting in fires, smoke, and property damage.”

TikTok themselves have sprung into action, taking down as many “Chromebook” challenge videos as they can and even bringing up an explicit safety warning if you search the term: “This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority.

A teen in New Jersey has already been charged with third-degree arson for taking part in this trend, with KWTX News saying a Connecticut student is also facing charges. Pranks and silly trends are a fact of life in school, and nobody should underestimate what a bored kid can do to liven up a dull Tuesday.

But maybe, just maybe, making your school equipment into a fiery, toxic, and explosive bomb isn’t the way to go about that. Even so, it’s a little worrying that Chromebooks can catch fire so easily – but we’re betting the designers didn’t expect kids would begin intentionally trying to set them on fire for kicks.