Long Beach teenager arrested for arson after viral “Chromebook Challenge” prank sparks fire
The middle schooler from Lindsay Academy is accused of arson after she purposely short circuited her Long Beach Unified School District Chromebook by shoving a foreign object into the USB port of the laptop. In some cases
By Dean Fioresi & Michele Gile
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LONG BEACH, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A 13-year-old Long Beach girl was arrested last week after she allegedly took part in a viral social media prank called the “Chromebook Challenge.”
The middle schooler from Lindsay Academy is accused of arson after she purposely short circuited her Long Beach Unified School District Chromebook by shoving a foreign object into the USB port of the laptop. In some cases, this has caused the computer to catch fire, including the one that led to the girl’s arrest on May 8.
“The student was arrested for arson, and the incident is under investigation. No one was hurt, and the damage was isolated to the Chromebook,” said a statement from an LBUSD spokesperson.
Their statement further addressed the dangers presented by the challenge.
“We recently issued a districtwide message to parents and guardians urging them to speak with their children about the dangers of participating in social media challenges that promote unsafe or destructive behavior. These actions can create safety risks, disrupt learning, and may lead to serious disciplinary or legal consequences,” the statement said.
Local school district officials say it’s part of a larger problem happening across the country, including in the Bay Area where there have been several similar instances and in Minnesota where there were similar warnings shared by school leaders.
In San Bernardino, one classroom filled with smoke when another student did the trend, eventually leading to evacuations at Cajon High School, and in Arizona a desk caught fire after the same stunt was performed.
When searching the term “Chromebook Challenge” on TikTok, the app displays a warning message advising of the dangers that online challenges could bring.
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