Social media has put a modern twist on the age-old tradition of senior pranks. But it鈥檚 also playing a role in the punishments that result when evidence of pranks that have gone too far pops up on Instagram and TikTok.
Whether destructive or just fun and clever, senior pranks often go viral on social media. In the second category, take the viral prank that happened this year in the final weeks of school at St. Andrew鈥檚 School, a private school in Middletown, Del. Joy McGrath, the head of the school, woke up in the middle of the night to find 70 graduating seniors in her living room. The encounter, recorded by senior Austin Chang, attracted 22 million page views on Instagram and 5 million TikTok views.
Since St. Andrews is a boarding school, the faculty and staff live on campus, so McGrath said that having students in her house is not unusual. The video鈥檚 viral rise came as a shock to the St. Andrews faculty and staff.
鈥淚 loved finding the students in my house,鈥 McGrath said.
The students coordinated the prank with McGrath鈥檚 husband. He allowed for them to 鈥渟neak in鈥 to their house at 1 a.m. and worked with the dean of the school and dining services to order a coffee bar and donuts to the house for students to enjoy after pulling off the prank.
At St. Andrews, students are not allowed to have cell phones. The video was never intended to get the amount of attention that it did because it was originally posted for the small number of alumni and parents who follow the school鈥檚 Instagram account.
鈥淣o one would have thought that tens of millions of people would be interested in it,鈥 said McGrath.
Trinity Smith, a co-president of the senior class, said the prank reflects the bond students share with their school.
鈥淚 think one reason why the video took off is because a lot of people can鈥檛 logistically fathom how a class could come together in this way and commit to doing this,鈥 Smith told a Delaware News Journal reporter.
McGrath said that the prank was 鈥渁bsolutely delightful,鈥 and detailed what she thinks makes a great senior prank.
鈥淚 think great senior pranks have three qualities: 1) they are novel; 2) when revealed, the organization and planning behind them is evident; 3) they are harmless,鈥 McGrath said. 鈥淭he prank at St. Andrew鈥檚 hit all three marks!鈥
In St. Paul, Minn., Principal Cherise Ayers of Central High School was similarly understanding when seniors hauled a car from two blocks away and then up two flights of stairs to the school鈥檚 entrance as their senior prank this year.
鈥淚 told the seniors that I understand pranks may happen, but they should not be disrespectful, dangerous, or disgusting and should not require excessive clean-up from staff,鈥 Ayers said. 鈥淲e had three pranks, and for the most part they managed to comply with that.鈥
When pranks take a wrong turn
But other pranks played out on social media this year would not have met McGrath鈥檚 standards for what qualifies as a 鈥済reat senior prank.鈥
One such prank in the Alamance-Burlington School System in Burlington, N.C., led to 80 students being barred from the school鈥檚 graduation ceremony. Although they still received diplomas, they were unable to participate and celebrate their graduation with their peers.
The students poured cement into the toilets in the bathrooms, causing a huge mess and costly damage.
In a statement released on June 1, following the senior prank, the local school board said that the students鈥 actions damaged eight toilets and six urinals, costing the school $4,000.
鈥淭hese students were identified entering our school buildings,鈥 the statement said, adding that seven were identified and subsequently charged by the Burlington Police Department.
In an update to the investigation into the prank, the school district shared photos of the damages caused to pipes, hardwood floors, desks, furniture, and walls, as well as bathrooms.
Many of the photos were first shared by students involved in the prank on social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. The images served as evidence against students as the school district and the police department built the case on the prank.
Alex Solari, a senior at Williams High School in the district, admitted . Because of the fines, he said he has picked up a summer job to pay his part and has apologized for his involvement in the destructive prank.
鈥淲hat we did is completely unacceptable. It was a prank, and it definitely went overboard,鈥 Solari said in the interview. 鈥淚 am deeply apologetic to everyone involved.鈥
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a lot of thinking in this obviously,鈥 Solari added. 鈥淭here was definitely a lot of regret.鈥
In a similar situation, students in West Milford, N.J., were given punishments for their involvement in their senior prank.
According to News12 New Jersey,. Initially, West Milford High School Principal Matthew Striane did not condemn the prank, saying, 鈥渢his can hardly be viewed as egregious鈥 in a June 12 letter to the community.
But once videos of the prank were shared on social media, commenters chimed in.
鈥淛ust saw the video [of the prank on TikTok],鈥 read a TikTok comment. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a prank. It鈥檚 criminal.鈥
The school board called a meeting to discuss 鈥渟tudent matters and personal matters.鈥 The next morning, students who had been involved were notified of their punishment in an email from the assistant principal鈥攁 three-day, in-school suspension.
Social media platforms鈥 guidelines
Many social media sites, such as TikTok, have guidelines regarding what can and cannot be posted and these are meant to keep dangerous content or false information from being circulated. But the company said that, while some of the viral senior prank videos may seem dangerous, they do not violate to the point where they need to be removed from the platform.
According to those guidelines, removals should be for videos that promote dangerous behavior that could lead to serious injury. Examples of videos that would get removed are those that have to do with self-harm, eating disorders, dangerous challenges or activities, and those that may threaten viewers鈥 mental health.
If TikTok users believe action in videos is dangerous or the video itself is harmful, the videos can be reported to TikTok. Through its , TikTok has created a guide for online challenges so users can assess whether it is a good idea to engage in the challenge.
Similarly to TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram also have their own community guidelines for dangerous or inappropriate content. that is sexually explicit, shows bodily harm, includes harassment or bullying, or anything that alludes to violence, extremism, or terrorism. that showcases violence, hate speech, or harassment.
Because many of the senior pranks showcase property damage and violation but no people are being harmed, they do not violate any social media guidelines to the point of needing to be taken down.
But some of the pranks captured on social media did violate their schools鈥 own rules and regulations.
Experts weigh in
As the temptation to go viral becomes more widespread, though, experts predict students may be more inclined to share content that may get them in trouble.
Zoey Yue, is a research fellow at the Digital Wellness Lab whose research is focused on social media and well-being.
鈥淓merging studies have indicated that negative and sensational content tends to spread rapidly on social media platforms, giving rise to concerns such as misinformation and negative emotion contagion,鈥 she said.
Christine Elgersma, senior editor for learning content strategy at Common Sense Media, a research and advocacy group, agreed. 鈥淲e often see teens... posting iffy behavior without thinking about consequences,鈥 she said.鈥淭he potent combination of child development and the ease of posting on social media often leads to unexpected impacts.鈥
She urged students to think about their digital footprints and their futures.
鈥淲e do know higher education institutions and hiring professionals check someone鈥檚 socials as a part of the vetting process,鈥 Elgersma said. 鈥淲e often witness people鈥檚 old posts coming back to haunt them, so it鈥檚 possible that a prank resulting in disciplinary action can also resurface when someone is getting vetted for something.鈥
Educating children about those risks is part of Elgersma鈥檚 job at Common Sense Media.
鈥淕etting teens to reflect on before these moments happen is really important,鈥 she said. That way, when they鈥檙e in the thick of it, they may have a little voice in the back of their heads reminding them that everything online is permanent, and someone down the road who鈥檚 making decisions about their lives may see it.鈥
