Footage of a teenage boy apparently being forced to smash his phone to pieces at his school has gone viral.
The video was filmed at The Hui People Middle School in the city of Shangqiu in Central China's Henan Province.
The pupil is believed to be aged 17 or 18 and in his final year of secondary school, and can be seen hitting his mobile phone on the floor with a lock as schoolmates urge him on.
The viral clip has now amassed more than eight million views after being widely shared online, with many social media users claiming the school's staff were forcing the boy to damage his phone - some even claim a teacher filmed the footage.
As the boy stands back up, a female classmate can be heard saying: "Hit it again, smash it to pieces."
The teen follows orders and crouches down again, picking up the lock before repeatedly hitting the phone with it.
The girl nearby then adds: "Throw it. Throw it against the floor. Throw it over there."
The boy - who appears to be on the verge of tears - then slams his phone against the floor until it completely breaks apart.
While social media users have condemned staff for allegedly forcing the pupil to damage his own phone, a spokesman for the school claimed that no teachers were involved in the punishment.
The spokesman said: "We've always had a ban on phones. Pupils sign agreements as soon as they enter the school. No one is allowed to bring their phone to school.
"However, no teacher forced the pupil to break his phone. It's a policy the students decided to enforce themselves.
"The video was taken by a passing teacher who wanted to show it to her own class."
According to reports, the school is not expected to compensate the pupil or his family for the broken phone.
Last year, footage surfaced of a man in a military suit in China apparently smashing a student's phone with a hammer.
A woman could be heard saying: "Any mobile phone brought into school against the rules will be soaked in water and smashed on the ground."
Some pupils were also said to have been filmed after being forced to dunk their devices in water.
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.
"They can put them away or hand their phones over to their teachers for safekeeping. But if caught using them, [the phones] will be destroyed."
Featured Image Credit: AsiaWireTopics: World News, phone, News, Technology, China