School In China Sparked Controversy For Forcing Students To Slam Their Phones Onto The Floor After They Brought Them Into The Classroom

A video circulating online shows a Chinese school forcing students to smash their phones on the floor as a punishment

The video started doing rounds on the internet and people were outraged with the teacher's way of punishment.

The clip shows three young girls being forced to throw their cell phones on the floor repeatedly after they were caught bringing the devices to the campus.

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According to the reports, local officials have started investigating after the video went viral

The reporters were told the students were strictly not allowed to bring their phones into the classroom. As a result of their punishment, the teacher told them to slam their phones on the ground. She was heard ordering her pupils to 'hurry up.'

An anonymous user uploaded the video on a Chinese social media website

The footage was anonymously filmed at an unnamed school in the city of Mengzi, south-western China's Yunnan Province.

The students are seen lining up with phones in their hands and eyes on the ground.

The teacher can be heard saying;

'Next one, hurry up.' 

'You, carry on smashing [it].'

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Students looked afraid to say something or answer back

The authorities are looking into the matter:

'We just saw the video. We are still investigating it.' an official told reporters. 'The school has banned [students from] bringing phones to help students focus on their studies, not playing on their phones.'

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The video has sparked online discussion as people divided into two teams

While many people were outraged with the educator's behavior, some also supported the school's approach.

Someone wrote: 'I think this is great. If my son broke the rule and brought his phone to school, I would support the teacher for smashing his phone.'

Another user argued: 'If the students broke the rule, you can take away their phones and give them to the parents. This is intentionally damaging other people's goods, very inappropriate.'

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This is not the first school that came under the spotlight, last month another school in China was criticized for forcing its students to throw their mobile phones in a bucket of water as punishment.

According to the reports, the school management told the students' actions had been 'voluntary' and 'fully supported' by their parents.