TikTok sellers are cashing in on the school phone ban by selling special magnets that unlock the pouches used to cut children's screen time.
Under new government guidance, all state-funded schools in England must now be mobile phone-free environments by default. To enforce this, many schools have introduced lockable phone pouches that cannot be opened until home time.
Sellers lure pupils with quick-unlock magnets
TikTok sellers are luring youngsters with discrete magnets that open the pouches in seconds. One firm, Nova Magnetics, claims: “Unlock your phone pouch in an instant.”
A video of one of the magnets, which come in an array of fun colours, is captioned: “The only thing you’ll be bringing to school this year.” Many accounts even encourage pupils to buy a magnet and then charge fellow pupils to unlock their devices in the playground.
Pupils charged £5 to unlock devices
Alongside dollar emojis and snaps of £20 notes, firm Unmag wrote: “Charge students £5 for opening their pouch using an Unmag. 20 people=£100.” The sellers also post clips with instructions on how to successfully break into the pouches, and some offer giveaways to entice students to come back for more. The comments are packed with teens claiming to have purchased the magnets.
Campaigner brands findings 'extremely irresponsible'
Esther Ghey, who is campaigning for the under-16s social media ban after the murder of her daughter Brianna, branded the findings “extremely irresponsible”. She added: “These sellers are exploiting children for profit and undermining schools’ efforts to protect them. Many schools tell me pupils are happy to put their phones away. Pouches are changing the culture, with students themselves frowning upon attempts to get around the rules.
“But no single measure will fix everything. Some children will still find ways around these protections, which is why education and a wider public health approach are essential. At the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, we’re giving schools free resources on screen time and online harms for teachers to deliver to parents and students. Families and schools need support, and platforms must take responsibility too.”
The probe comes after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy vowed the social media ban for under-16s will come into force from March 2027. Transgender schoolgirl Brianna, 16, was stabbed to death by teens Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddy Ratcliffe in February 2023. The pair planned the horror on messaging app Snapchat. TikTok was approached for comment.
