"Power banks, water cups, and books" have hidden secrets. Who is the winner of the "cell phone hiding war" on campus?
2024-08-10
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China Youth Daily·China Youth Network Intern Reporter Jiang Jixuan Reporter Huang Chong
"Power banks" that cannot be charged, "books" that cannot be read, "water cups" that can hardly hold water for drinking... Why do these products that appear on online shopping platforms often have sales of over a thousand?
In fact, "daily necessities" are just superficial disguises. The common name of this kind of goods is "cell phone hiding artifacts". The secret is that the cell phone can be hidden in the built-in secret compartment. Some students use this "magic artifact" to avoid the inspection of the school and parents and bring their cell phones into the campus to achieve "free use of cell phones".
Why are "phone-hiding gadgets" popular among primary and secondary school students? What are the legal risks of selling and using such "gadgets"? China Youth Daily and China Youth Network reporters conducted an interview on this.
There are many ways to hide your phone
Tan Xuetong, a high school student in Liaoning, posted a photo of her "water cup" on social media in February this year. The cup looks like a normal cup, and you can only vaguely see the outline of the phone through the lid. "I also bought a power bank-style one, which is also very useful, but it is larger than ordinary power banks. I was afraid that it would be discovered, so I didn't dare to bring it to school." She said that when teachers check mobile phones, they usually don't think of water cups, which is safer. You can open the bottom of the cup to take out the phone at any time, which is very convenient.
Tan Xuetong told the reporter that these "magic devices" were recommended by her classmates, and many of her classmates are using them. "When I first started bringing my phone into school, I was nervous, but after bringing it in a few times without getting caught, I became more courageous," she said.
If you search for topics related to "hiding mobile phones" on a certain social platform, you will see a large number of posts with pictures of daily items such as power banks, water cups, mirrors, and books. These items have special secret compartments inside to hide mobile phones, which are extremely concealed. Someone posted: "Hide your phone like this, let's see who can find it."
Below these posts, in addition to a large number of comments asking for a store or link, there are also some users who say "I personally tested it and it works well" and "Who invented it? How thoughtful." The reporter searched on a shopping platform and found pictures and descriptions of related products with words such as "hide a phone" and "disguise to prevent inspection." They are easy to find, with prices ranging from a dozen to more than 40 yuan. Buyers commented that they are "good quality and low price," and some products have sold more than a thousand copies.
The picture shows a screenshot of products being sold on an online shopping platform.
The picture shows a screenshot of products being sold on an online shopping platform.
The reporter consulted a "brand store in a certain hypermarket", and the customer service recommended a "mobile phone hiding device" in the shape of a power bank. This "power bank" has a charging port and brand logo on the outside, but the inside is empty. The customer service staff said that this space can accommodate mobile phones of various sizes on the market, and attached detailed installation instructions, saying that "the operation is very simple and it can be done in two minutes", and it is also very convenient to take out the mobile phone, "it comes out as soon as you pour it out". There are also more realistic "lighting models" to choose from, which can display fake charging values. "You can't see it with the naked eye." The customer service staff recommended.
Some students consider the "phone-hiding device" to be "thoughtful", but teachers are very "annoyed". "It is impossible to prevent it at all." A teacher surnamed Liu from a high school in Jiangsu told reporters that her school has a clear ban on students carrying and using mobile phones, but "many still bring them secretly." "I have encountered power bank models and alarm clock models. One student has four spare mobile phones." Teacher Liu said.
Not only that, the places where students hide their phones are also unexpected. "Some are hidden in flower beds, and some are hidden behind decorative paintings in the corridor. Teachers can only use metal detectors to check mobile phones now." She said helplessly.
Anti-mobile phone detection is also being upgraded. Customer service of a "big supermarket brand store" recommended an anti-detection version of a water cup-style "artifact" that is more expensive and "guaranteed not to be scanned out," and even said "can be brought into the examination room." Similar products in other stores also use "anti-detection" and "can be brought into the examination room" as selling points, with sales ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand orders.
In a "creative gift shop", the reporter found several "phone-hiding artifacts" in the shape of books. They look like dictionaries, four classics, best-selling books, etc. They are very realistic, and the pages can even be turned. The internal storage compartments are equipped with keys or password locks. Even if these "phone-hiding artifacts" are placed on desks, they are difficult to detect.
Don’t let parents and children get caught up in the “cell phone hiding war”
It's not just students who hide their phones, but also parents. A parent surnamed Shen from a middle school in Anhui Province said with a smile, "It's a war of hiding phones. Children try every possible means to hide their phones, and we parents also rack our brains to hide the confiscated phones somewhere else." She has hidden her phone in the gap between sofas, under mattresses, and in the interlayer of bookcases, "but it is often found by the children the next day." The parent feels very tired, "It has added a lot of burdens invisibly, which is not conducive to the parent-child relationship."
This parent believes that as children grow up, there are more and more occasions in life where mobile phones are needed, and parents cannot completely control them. This summer, she simply let her children use mobile phones more independently, and the children were not so addicted. "After my child finished the high school entrance examination, he played with his mobile phone for half a month and said it was too boring." In her opinion, children who are closely accompanied by their families are usually not addicted to mobile phones. They should learn to manage themselves with self-discipline. "Parents face it calmly, effectively guide their children's use of mobile phones, and give them enough trust, which will have a better effect." She said.
“There are indeed classmates around me who are using the ‘magic device for hiding cell phones’,” said Lan Fuyue, a high school student in Hebei Province. “In fact, I also wanted to buy one some time ago, but later gave up.” In her opinion, “the ‘magic device’ can help us bring cell phones to school, making it convenient to contact others, but I feel that the relationships in the dormitory have become worse after having cell phones.” Lan Fuyue said that roommates used to chat and talk with each other in their spare time, but now “everyone can’t wait to check their cell phones as soon as they return to the dormitory, and they don’t communicate anymore. Those who don’t bring their cell phones can only lie down alone.”
Ai Qi, a high school graduate from Hubei, was also very troubled by the mobile phone issue. Previously, she believed that it was necessary to bring a mobile phone, and she also tried every means to hide her mobile phone when she went to school. "My classmates all brought theirs, but I didn't. Wouldn't I be 'out of touch' with everyone?" But after the college entrance examination, Ai Qi, who achieved "mobile phone freedom", admitted that playing with the mobile phone was a waste of time, "There is really no need to hold the mobile phone all day long."
Some experts say that if parents impose too much control and restrictions on their children, the children are very likely to "escape" to their mobile phones to find the missing sense of freedom and satisfaction. Parents can appropriately meet their children's needs and guide them to realize that mobile phones are just a tool, not a mysterious paradise.
Merchants selling "phone-hiding gadgets" may be suspected of violating the law
Some parents have reported that businesses should not take advantage of children's desire to use mobile phones and sell "mobile phone hiding devices" to minors, thereby encouraging children to hide mobile phones on campus.
When a parent asked the store about the modified goods, the customer service changed their previous tone and said, "This is a normal water cup and can only be used to drink water." When asked whether it was legal to sell such items to students, the customer service said, "We can give feedback to the platform and require that children under the age of 18 cannot open purchasing accounts."
Gong Ting, a partner at Beijing Huacheng (Shanghai) Law Firm, said that the behavior of merchants selling and promoting "mobile phone hiding artifacts" may be suspected of being illegal. According to the relevant provisions of the "Regulations on Supervision and Administration of Online Transactions", online transaction operators shall not sell goods that damage national interests and social public interests and violate public order and good customs. "Merchants openly claim that such products can 'escape inspection', help students evade school supervision, and even use them to cheat in exams, which will affect the physical and mental health development of students, cause the spread of bad values, violate the good customs of honesty and trustworthiness, and violate the relevant requirements of the "Regulations on Supervision and Administration of Online Transactions." Gong Ting said that for related sales behaviors, the market supervision and administration department should order rectification within a time limit according to its duties and may impose a fine. As for the illegal behavior of merchants, according to relevant regulations, the market supervision and administration department can order them to stop and impose a fine. In serious cases, the business license of the merchant can also be revoked.
Gong Ting believes that the platform has certain supervision and management obligations for the marketing behavior of merchants and should promptly remove similar illegal and illegal products. Although the platform does not directly participate in the transaction between the buyer and the seller, if the platform fails to perform its supervision and management obligations for the marketing behavior of merchants, according to Article 49 of the "Regulations on Supervision and Management of Online Transactions", the market supervision and management department may order rectification within a time limit and impose a fine.
The General Office of the Ministry of Education issued a "Notice on Strengthening the Management of Mobile Phones for Primary and Secondary School Students" in 2021, requiring that primary and secondary school students should not bring personal mobile phones into campus in principle. If there is a real need, parents must agree and submit a written application. After entering the school, the mobile phone should be kept by the school and is prohibited from being brought into the classroom.
Ai Qi believes that students should use mobile phones correctly and manage themselves well. "If you deceive your teachers and parents, you are actually deceiving yourself. Mobile phones should be used by people, and people should not be led by mobile phones."
(Note: The names of the students interviewed in this article are pseudonyms)
(Source: China Youth Daily Client)
