Christian College warns parents of ‘Chromebook Challenge’ TikTok trend

Christian College Geelong parents have been warned of an “unsafe TikTok trend” fuelling property damage at schools. SEE THE VIDEO.

An “unsafe TikTok trend” that results in school computers catching fire has forced a Geelong principal to send a warning email to parents.

The “Chromebook Challenge”, which began trending on social media in March 2025, encourages teens to jam objects like paperclips and graphite pencils into the USB port of their school-issued Google Chromebooks to cause an electrical short, and in some cases catch fire.

The trend is being mimicked by students, with several attempts at Christian College Geelong prompting an email sent to parents on Thursday.

Deputy Principal Rick Geall warned parents of the trend and its dangers.

“When this is done, it can cause a short circuit, create smoke, and potentially damage the device,” Mr Geall wrote.

“While some students may see this as a harmless experiment or joke, it poses serious safety risks, including electrical hazards, possible injury, and the destruction of school property.”

Christian College Geelong school principal Mathilda Joubert said the college’s IT manager and director of digital learning had been the first to raise alarm bells after the school dealt with incidents of property damage.

“We decided let’s be on the front foot,” Ms Joubert said.

“It’s probably happening at other schools, that’s just the nature of things going viral.”

Ms Joubert said because students as young as grade four had access to technology, the communications had been sent out to parents from prep to year 12 at all campuses, and the email had been met with positivity by parents.

She said the school was concerned about both the electrical hazards the trend posed to students and the property damage to the school laptops.

“Interestingly the kids all knew about it, and we have already had parents contacting us to say thank you for making us aware,” she said.

The dangerous challenge, reported by NBC news, led to arson charges against a 15-year-old student in New Jersey, United States.

A 13-year-old in Long Beach was arrested after attempting the trend, the LA Times reported in mid-May.

In a similar vein, a popular “Chrome durability test” trend encourages teens to film themselves destroying or decoding school laptops.

Mr Geall warned parents staff were monitoring the situation closely, and reminded students about the importance of safe and respectful behaviour while using school equipment.

He said students who intentionally damaged school devices could face disciplinary action and could result in parents being liable to pay repair costs.

“We ask for your support in speaking with your child about the dangers of participating in online trends like the “Chromebook Challenge.”

It is understood TikTok is actively removing videos promoting the trend.

A TikTok spokeswoman said the site did not allow content that promoted dangerous activities and challenges.

“When people search for this content, they are redirected to our safety centre,” she said.

Originally published as Christian College warns parents of ‘Chromebook Challenge’ TikTok trend