'Chromebook Challenge' laptop fires

2025

In spring 2025 students filmed themselves jamming paper clips and pencil lead into school Chromebook ports to short-circuit the devices, with some piercing the lithium battery to make them smoke or catch fire. Denver Public Schools logged more than 30 attempts; a 15-year-old in New Jersey faced arson charges and one school was evacuated. TikTok removed the content under its dangerous activities policy and redirected searches to a safety message.