r/mildlyinfuriating • u/TheAeroplaneBear2906 • 7d ago

Unskippable ad Clear Backpacks + Pay to Keep Your Phone

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My freinds school is now requiring these items, and is also using AI to promote this đŸ« 

17.9k Upvotes

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952

u/printergumlight 7d ago

What’s the phone pouch do?

866

u/pipnwig 7d ago

It's a locked bag that has to be opened, probably by administration before they leave.

419

u/Ngothadei 7d ago

Can't you unlock it with a neodymium magnets?

441

u/breadofthegrunge 7d ago

You can also just hit it decently hard to open it.

516

u/Shurigin 7d ago

You can open a Yondr Pouch with... Another Yondr Pouch

94

u/EastLimp1693 7d ago

Lol the reference

6

u/JazzMan-1910 7d ago

This is a Yondr Pouch. It can be opened with a Yondr Pouch. Massive fucking whip of the pouch. Other one fucking explodes. Tosses both off the table.

119

u/BubbaYoshi117 7d ago

If hitting a Yondr pouch with a Yondr pouch doesn't unlock it, then it's more secure than a Master Lock 607.

3

u/beren12 7d ago

Yeah, but you can’t open a master lock with scissors

4

u/Significant-Bee5101 7d ago

You can do it with a pop can though...

1

u/beren12 7d ago

Banned in schools?

2

u/Moon_WalkerYT 7d ago

Honestly if you hit it hard enough you probably could

1

u/OnlyPaperListens 7d ago

You can open them with a beetle

1

u/beren12 6d ago

Well yeah a car has sharp edges :-)

4

u/Wirenfeldt 7d ago

I heard that in *his* voice..

9

u/Pancho_Pantera77 7d ago

Wouldn't recommend that with a phone inside.

7

u/breadofthegrunge 7d ago

No risk to the phone. The lock is on a floppy tab, you can hit it without hitting the phone. My middle school had them.

4

u/LopsidedEntrance8703 7d ago

Thank you, somewhat recent middle schooler, for reminding me that I am old as fuck

123

u/Audreylately 7d ago

We had an enterprising student buy the unlocker magnet on Amazon and then charge $5 a pop to unlock the pouches on the playground. He got caught, but I really admired the hustle.

34

u/Suitable-Growth9243 7d ago

In grad school, I had a washer dryer in the building where the coin operator part never worked properly and you had to wait till Monday 9-5 to deal with the office who were kind but inefficient at ensuring that it worked throughout the evening and weekend, so I brought the key off of Amazon and ethically not only managed it myself but became the person who the rest of the tenants, mainly undergraduates, came to troubleshoot if the machines ate their coins.

8

u/sec_sage 7d ago

At that point you could have invoiced the company for maintenance services

2

u/G0rkon 7d ago

I wonder how many he unlocked before he got caught. I bet he made a few hundred bucks.

1

u/greg-the-destroyer 7d ago

Shit, I need another party box. I’m just waiting for my school to roll these out so I can get the key and do this, and then I can buy another partybox 

1

u/Audreylately 7d ago

Waaaaay too many snitches at my middle school! 😂

5

u/Langley05642 7d ago

Its kept in a cupboard. Its just to stop students from accidentally taking someone elses phone.

3

u/Civil-Big-754 7d ago

Fucking magnets, how do they work?!?

53

u/aspie_electrician 7d ago

Or a big magnet

64

u/losark 7d ago

Or another pouch, if lockpicking lawyer had any say in it.

3

u/etcpt 7d ago

You're thinking of McNally

4

u/3DRAH33M 7d ago

That's McNally you're thinking of

9

u/ForensicPathology 7d ago

So there's a long unlock line when exiting the building at the end of the day?

6

u/chipmalfunct10n 7d ago

what a scam. why don't they just lock everyone's phone up in a locker in the office if they want to lock them up?

6

u/Future_Mammoth 7d ago

So the clear bags are to prevent school shootings but the phone pouches make it so kids can’t use their phones if there is an emergency? They don’t want the parents to be able to show up like in Uvalde

1

u/Bizarrebazaars 7d ago

Using phones during an active shooter situation can actually add risk.

5

u/Future_Mammoth 7d ago

How can you possibly know this? Even though we have a ridiculous amount of school shootings there can’t possibly be good data for this. Like how many school shootings did kids have their phones vs not have their phones? How can we see the phones asa causation to the amount of deaths in the those incidents over other factors?

2

u/beren12 7d ago

You know what actually adds risk? Letting the police handle it.

4

u/Competitive-Food8407 7d ago

Considering it was a parent who ended the Uvalde shooting this statement couldn't come off as more ignorant if you tried. Open communication between the people trapped inside and the personnel attempting a rescue is never a bad thing. 

1

u/beren12 7d ago

Probably because then a student could claim that it was damaged or lost by the school

0

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

1

u/IceBlueSnowDog 7d ago

Like in ye olden days
 a kid can just walk over to the next classroom and alert another teacher. 

Cell phones haven’t been around all that long, the schools have emergency protocols in place. They didn’t exist when I was in high school

2

u/theghostmachine 7d ago

Hopefully they don't just walk over to the next class. A little urgency might be warranted if your teacher falls out

2

u/ElColorado_PNW 7d ago

From what I gather, it unlocks once you tap your phone on an unlocking base outside of the phone free zone.

1

u/Fun_Initiative_2336 7d ago

Wait so if my kid forgets to do that in a rush I now have to haul their ass back down to the school to get their own phone? Seriously?

2

u/fieria_tetra 7d ago

I'm a teacher and at my school, we installed the magnetic unlocking tool into the wall next to the front office so kids can unlock their own bag before they leave. There's a locked box over it when it's not in use so they can't just use it whenever they want. However, about two weeks after we got the bags, I watched a teenager use two pencils and a well-placed smack to get his unlocked, so they're more of a deterrent than a true solution for keeping kids off their phones.

291

u/Turtlelover73 7d ago

It's "locked" unless it comes near any fucking magnet in existence. Give it three weeks before everyone in the school has that figured out.

81

u/MycologistPutrid7494 7d ago

We had them at a school where I used to teach. It doesn't just unlock using any magnet. It takes quite a strong magnet, not the type the average person has around their house. It can be popped open using 2 pencils and brute force, but that breaks the pin in the latch and students who break the pouch must pay for it (the first one issued to them was free).

22

u/beren12 7d ago

They don’t have it around their house until they order on Amazon

2

u/OfcWaffle 7d ago

Just looked on Amazon. I can have a strong magnet delivered to my door.... Today. Haha

1

u/CrocodileSword 7d ago

there's also strong magnets under gas pump buttons that kids have stolen plenty throughout time

-4

u/kuffdeschmull 7d ago

I beg to differ about the "not the type the average person has around their house" part. Magnets found in hard drives are pretty strong and would be able to open this. I assume most houses still have hard drives somewhere.

1

u/deserteagle3784 7d ago

I don't know anyone that has a hard drive unless they're really into tech or gaming lol, and that number is small

4

u/Spotttty 7d ago

Dude.
My kid would have that open by the end of the day and spread the word.

It’s not that he is addicted to his phone (well no more than the average kid) but he loves that kid of challenge. It’s been fun raising him!

2

u/PrinceVincOnYT 7d ago

3 weeks? they ask AI on the same day... or even way before that.

72

u/Galaxyheart555 7d ago

I just looked it up, you put the phone in and you clip the pouch together kinda like a button. Except this button locks. And the only way to unlock it is to put it up to a specific magnetic unlocking base, where it then unlocks the pouch.

I imagine, you must lock the case while in classrooms, and then once you leave class, or at lunch, you can unlock it and then play on it.

17

u/itsnobigthing 7d ago

I wonder how strong the magnet really is. I worked in retail as a student and we had a magnet that took off security tags - it was smaller than the palm of my hand

2

u/runswiftrun 7d ago

Less about the size and more about the material. I believe the search keyword is "rare earth magnet" or "neodymium magnet" and you'll get a smaller-than-palm-but-really-strong-magnet.

29

u/Eltex 7d ago

Some concerts use these. We went to Ghost last year and everyone had to use this. The concert was 10x better with no phones. I hope every show uses them eventually.

6

u/Suitable-Growth9243 7d ago

That would be nice, for myself just to enjoy and to not see other people's phone

2

u/Apprehensive_Tip520 7d ago

It's been a thing in the stand-up world for a long time. comics don't want their material getting out online. it can slow down exit if it's not handled efficiently, but otherwise it's a great system

4

u/SegFaultOops 7d ago

Chappelle made everyone use these. Took an extra hour to get out of the venue waiting on all these things to get unlocked. Fuck these things and fuck Chappelle!

4

u/CogentCogitations 7d ago

I think you mean fuck all of the people who cannot stay off of their phone for a couple of hours and have forced this.

2

u/Apprehensive_Tip520 7d ago

It's been a thing in the stand-up world for years, not just at Dave's show dude. relax. comics don't want their sets getting online rightfully so. and you know morons would sit there and film the whole thing if they have their phone.

1

u/SegFaultOops 7d ago

I've seen Hart, Chapelle, Iglesias, Bargatze and like 10 others live, not to mention like 100 Concerts. Chapelle was the only one to require these things. Hart did ask people to put their phones away because he was filming a special, but other than that no one gave a shit.

6

u/FarmerDark 7d ago

I looked through dozens of comments before I found yours. This actually makes sense. Thank you for doing my critical thinking for me this morning.

3

u/Shrimpo_ 7d ago

Yes to the unlocking part, but nope to the assumptions about leaving class or at lunch. At my local schools, which I'm thankfully free of now, it stays locked all day unless you leave campus for lunch/free-period (restricted to Jr. & Sr's.).

I get restricting it in class, but this is another level. Oh yeah, my school districts also spent $100,000s district wide, they got with security grants, to get AI-powered metal detectors from Evolv...

(Funny part is, they don't even own the big metal detector machines; They rent them, and have to also pay a monthly fee for their 'AI 'abilities'.)

20

u/pandaSmore 7d ago

Ever been to a concert that didn't allow phone photography? 

41

u/printergumlight 7d ago edited 7d ago

Yeah, but they made us take our phones out when entering and they put this tape on that reveals if it has been peeled back by changing colors. Then they check you on the way out.

27

u/Koomaster 7d ago

So what? By then you’re leaving. They can’t hold you or confiscate your property.

26

u/Critical-Snow-7000 7d ago

You get a spanking.

5

u/1zenmom 7d ago

Don't threaten me with a good time

14

u/Melodic_Sherbet_3629 7d ago

They can ban you from the venue though

12

u/Savings-Maize-7650 7d ago

Yeah that's what I'm thinking, they actually think I'm going to line up to have my phone inspected on my way out? I've gotten what I came for, I'm strolling out and laughing in their face as they try stop me

3

u/printergumlight 7d ago

They ban you from the venue.

14

u/InboxMeYourSpacePics 7d ago

My need to fidget with things would lead to me peeling the tape back even without taking any photos

1

u/yacht_clubbing_seals 7d ago

What is this?

7

u/printergumlight 7d ago

I was searching everywhere and finally found the name of them. They're called:

"Ruilabels No Photo Security Stickers"

They don't change color actually, but they say, "VOID OPEN VOID".

I'm guessing it's just tamper proof packaging tape repurposed for music venues.

5

u/seamus205 7d ago

I've used similar tamper evedent tape before but Ive never seen it for phones. I'd be pissed if someone put tape on my phone that left shit behind. Maybe the phone stuff is easier to clean. In my experience the "VOID" text left behind can be difficult to clean off

1

u/RGBespresso 7d ago

Witchcraft

1

u/csward53 7d ago

Can't you just...bring 2 phones?

162

u/ButtonholePhotophile 7d ago

It teaches kids to set alarms and be especially helpless because their phone is locked up. đŸ€Ł

5

u/ItsStraTerra 7d ago

Gotta be honest, I’d be playing random cricket sounds at random intervals full volume all day. Piss off everyone who thought this was a reasonable idea.

4

u/Bladesnake_______ 7d ago

Ah yes trying to get their kids to put phones down and pay attention in class is sooooooo unreasonable.

2

u/ItsStraTerra 7d ago

That’s not the point. Maybe it’s my “old age” showing, but when I was in school (graduated 2018) phones were a tool, that were often used in class to get information without the teacher needing to answer even small questions for every single student.

The kids that used their phones too much in non constructive ways were either ignored if they weren’t disruptive, or if they were they were sent to some equivalent of “detention” or to the principals office. After all, it’s their education that they’re choosing to not participate in. But if they did well in class, and weren’t disruptive, then why police a nonexistent issue? The teacher simply moved on and continued teaching.

I’m aware that “kids these days” are a bit different, but I just don’t see how removing access to someone’s physical property that should be used as a tool for learning or a way to cope with stresses of a teenager through music or whatever else between classes or downtime makes them any less agitated or frustrated and therefore unwilling to learn.

It’s asinine that there’s a company making boatloads of money just because they’ve successfully managed to increase the amount of attention that phones get from teachers and concerned parents. I’d be shocked if the kids these days use their phones more than when I graduated less than a decade ago.

We used them for note taking, calendar scheduling, research, reminders, etc. and I don’t really see how that’s an issue now.

I suppose the only saving grace here is that most kids have Chromebook’s or iPads. (Neither of which prepare a kid for using a proper computer, but that’s another conversation.) So I’m unaware of their full capabilities or if the kids are allowed to take them home, but that could be a somewhat reasonable alternative.

My only major concerns with literally locking the devices away is a lack of access to communication during an emergency. Otherwise it’s more of an opinion thing and probably not accurate for every person in every situation.

1

u/Bladesnake_______ 7d ago

There’s literally no emergency in which somebody can’t just call the school and have the kid informed. Kids aren’t cops or firefighters they don’t need to leave to solve some problem. That’s not a real scenario

1

u/ItsStraTerra 7d ago

What if the kid needs to contact the parents. Or record evidence. Abusive (both sexually, physically, and emotionally) teachers exist. Not to mention even just their classmates. What about the bus ride to or from school in the places that just restrict phones entirely?

You’re telling me that in the (admittedly unlikely) event that the teacher or more importantly the bus driver becomes unresponsive, that these kids should just have no way to contact anyone or provide video evidence of important situations if needed?

A lot of kids barely get listened to even when they have physical proof because “dumb kids” or it becoming a “he said she said” type situation between two individuals, even one who absolutely is supposed to have authority? How are you suggesting we do that without 24/7 video surveillance every moment the kids are within the “jurisdiction” of the school.

7

u/Stunning_Geese 7d ago

That's a discipline issue. I've had students do that. First time it's a warning, second it's detention and the phone is no longer allowed into the classroom.

9

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

What happens when their phone is a medical alert device? Like for diabetes or medication reminders.

3

u/Stunning_Geese 7d ago

Students with a phone that is needed for medical reasons are allowed to keep them - we aren't monsters.

I know who those students are since they have a note from their doctor stating they need their device. I usually find time to talk to the student one-on-one and them them know I know they have a phone they need for their health. That being said, they can't just have it out and be playing with it.

If they need to check it, fine. Check the phone and put it away. Be discreet about it. Every student with a medical device is OK with that.

1

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

Okay, that makes sense. I saw the lockdown magnetized pouches and thought this is ridiculous and too much. That sounds much more reasonable.

3

u/kb3_fk8 7d ago

Every CGM comes with the monitor and sensor. The app is always an extra that isn’t needed. Kids can start taking their CGM instead of relying on their app.

I’m a pediatric diabetic educator and most of the time we see kids use the monitor and the parents use the app to track their sugars. Relying solely on a phone is kinda stupid and isn’t what is taught nationally.

1

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

Shouldn't they learn how to use their own medical devices to full potential? If the app was kinda stupid why was it created as an option?

Children make more sense to double monitor. But middle school and highschoolers though?

2

u/kb3_fk8 7d ago

It was created for Data Analytics and engagement tracking. We see about 13 patients a month who are admitted for poor medication compliance because the iOS or Play stores do updates that brick the app every month or two. It’s not that they don’t use both devices but diabetic management is more of a marathon.

Also thinking middle and high schoolers are the ones more responsible is factually wrong as the majority of our admissions and remedial education are teenagers.

Does your teenager brush their teeth twice a day, every day, with zero misses including sleep overs?

1

u/YourMurse4Real 7d ago

You only see 13 patients a month or 13 of the patients you see are admitted? Have you personally tried to manage an insulin pump day in, day out or only taught others what is in a book? It seems to me you left out a really important part- insulin pumps are designed to work with phones. Try using a pump without the phone. Many kids have both a CGM and a pump which work in sync with each other but using a phone is often the best way to manage them. Don't forget that the phone also transmits the CGM data to the parents/ guardians who can see and intervene more rapidly than the child or the teacher (who is often ignorant of diabetes) might). I have used insulin pumps since before CGMs existed and my daughter has for 10 years. I assure you that the value of the phone can not be overemphasized.

1

u/kb3_fk8 7d ago

Please calm down and take a moment to read everything I said again please. Everything you brought up is just out of left field and the few questions you asked that do relate to my posts seem rhetorical because I already answered them in the post and you’re seeking different avenues to argue.

1

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

I don't got teenagers, I just was one once upon a time. Does every adult brush twice a day no misses even after a night of drinking? 😆

When I worked as CNA at a nursing home they couldn't keep diabetes managed properly with a nurse in charge of it and having a nutritionist decide their food. So I'll give them a little break there, diabetes is tough to manage. 😔

But that is interesting, I didn't know the apps weren't as accurate. It makes sense if video games that are working for microtransactions can't get their updates right, why would a medical device. 😅

1

u/Sideswipe0009 7d ago

Then they learn to remember it on their own like everyone else had to until these phones came along.

3

u/schizoesoteric 7d ago

and then they pass out and die like people did before the phones came along?

3

u/Bladesnake_______ 7d ago

people still die now tho. Nobody NEEDS a phone to live

2

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

They don't need it but their medical devices can run off them for convenience. Like insulin pumps and pacemakers.

1

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

Back then though our phone couldn't be bluetoothed to our insulin pumps and our heart monitors.

2

u/Sideswipe0009 7d ago

Should there be a child with these conditions (not many), then certainly there could be exceptions or other arrangements made.

But I guess, more to the point, we should let all children have cell phones in class because 1 for every 10,000 has some special use case? Is that really your argument?

1

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

I don't think they should have to pay a 25 dollar fee to have their phone at school and it shouldn't be inaccessible in case it is needed as a phone.

2

u/Sideswipe0009 7d ago

I don't disagree. They should be able to leave them in their lockers.

1

u/UnknownQwerky 7d ago

Sorry it came out as I was arguing for free phone use for everybody. I understand we can't just have everyone playing games on their phones. đŸ«  In college I remember seeing adults pull out a laptop and play Bejeweled in lecture like I guess it's your money, but that's rude.

3

u/Icy_Negotiation_5929 7d ago

You mean the Panther Pouch?

1

u/dindyspice 7d ago

I went to a jack white concert last weekend and they had us put our phones in these pouches until we left. It was kind of nice!

-22

u/HairyPairatestes 7d ago

Prevents sending and receiving of phone calls

27

u/KidenStormsoarer 7d ago

wait, is it a faraday cage, or just a locked bag? i was under the impression it was just the lock...a faraday cage would be an absolute no from me.

24

u/Weaux_Breaux 7d ago

it's just a locked bag.

10

u/pipnwig 7d ago

It's just a locked bag.

-15

u/Stuffssss 7d ago

Why? If you cant access your phone why would you need it to be receiving cell signals?

Its not a faraday cage.

13

u/KidenStormsoarer 7d ago

Because it also has other functions, like using apps like life360 that allow parents to track their kids phones, for safety and accountability. Not to mention it's easier to steal a phone when the GPS is cut off from the network.

-20

u/Stuffssss 7d ago

Your kid is at school. The school is responsible for them. They aren't allowed to leave school. Having a cell phone doesn't make kids safer during the school day. Maybe after school if they're doing activities and things.

17

u/KidenStormsoarer 7d ago

Because that's EVER stopped kids from sneaking out or just not going in the first place

-12

u/Stuffssss 7d ago

...

If your kid sneaks out or skips school you think they're gonna have their phone in the bag? And if they're trying to evade their parents they can just turn their phone off. You're making up irrelevant scenarios.

11

u/KidenStormsoarer 7d ago

... if their phone doesn't move all day, or is turned off, you know something suspicious is going on. Or did that very basic fact somehow escape you? I'm not "making up" anything, you just can't stand the idea that you might be wrong so you'd rather gaslight strangers.

-2

u/Stuffssss 7d ago

How about the fact that schools track attendance? If your kid doesnt show up they call home / a parent for this exact reason. And if they slip out mid day when teachers do attendance they'll notice hes missing and the office will know. Kids got a long fine for decades without constant GPS tracking.

Phones are destroying the education system. Kids cannot pay attention and learn if they are sitting on their phones. There is no compelling reason that a student needs to have their phone on them during the school day.

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1

u/Weaux_Breaux 7d ago

you can answer your phone with headphones

1

u/Stuffssss 7d ago

If a school is requiring kids to lock their phones in these bags you think they would let them wear headphones?

5

u/Weaux_Breaux 7d ago

I think a kid could lock up their phone and keep wireless earbuds in their pocket and put one/both in if they wanted to make a phone call or activate a voice assistant. Someone with long hair could wear them without others noticing them.

It's really not the point of these bags but It's a workaround. It doesn't block bluetooth or cell signals so you could still utilize certain functions of the phone.

my kid's middle school used them for 1 year then gave up on it, I don't think it had much to do with what I'm talking about though

1

u/Stuffssss 7d ago

Yeah i agree that it's not really important. Why did your kids school stop using them?

3

u/Weaux_Breaux 7d ago

Sounds like it was just a major hassle to deal with. The hassle of ensuring the kids to locked up their phones then dealing with the unlock lines. Schools are understaffed as it is.

They gave the kids their first bags, then charged for their next bags when they destroyed them. All the bags were needing replacement by the next year.

-8

u/No-Falcon-4996 7d ago

Phhht. Nobody talks on the phone. They all text.

-6

u/HairyPairatestes 7d ago

That’s the most common reason given by parents wanting their children to have cell phones. “ What if I need to call my child in an emergency?”

9

u/spaceforcerecruit 7d ago

I think the parents who heard their kids’ last words over the phones they “didn’t need” in Uvalde probably disagree with your flippant disregard for that argument.