When you were in school, chances were flip phones were all the rage and if you dared to get caught with one in class, the worst case scenario would be detention.
Fast forward to the present day and teachers over in China have apparently resorted to literally forcing kids to smash their smartphones in order to stop them from using the devices in class.
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According to recent reports, many schools in China have a zero tolerance policy for phone use, which encourages teachers to come up with 'creative' penalties such as dropping devices in buckets of water or publicly shaming students on the school's PA system.
Detention doesn't look so drastic now, does it?
The reports come just several months after footage emerged from the country showing teachers smashing up students' phones in an almost 'execution style' video.
According to the Daily Mail, the footage shows a man in a military suit smashing a student's phone with a hammer, while a woman can be heard saying: "Any mobile phone brought into school against the rules will be soaked in water and smashed on the ground."
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Now it appears new forms of punishment are being enforced on Chinese pupils who dare to have a quick scroll in class.
As said, in addition to having their phones smashed, some pupils are being forced to dunk their devices in water - something we've all done a million times over by accident, but having to do it on purpose? Ouch.
A spokeswoman for Haulong School in Nanyang City - where one of the videos was shot - said pupils can bring their phones to school but are not allowed to use them during class.
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"They can put them away or hand their phones over to their teachers for safekeeping. But if caught using them, they will be destroyed."
The footage has been mired in controversy, as some have likened it to 'struggle sessions' - a form of public humiliation and torture that was used by the Communist Party of China in the Mao Zedong era to shape public opinion and humiliate, persecute, or execute political rivals and those deemed class enemies.
Perhaps the teachers could lay it on less thick by just confiscating the phones until the end of class? Or get the students to airplane mode their devices when on school premises?
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Anything would make a lot more sense than waterboarding an iPhone. Like I said, we all know how heartbreaking that is...
Featured Image Credit: Pear Video