Indonesian student threatens teacher with sickle for confiscating his phone

A student in Central Java, Indonesia, threatened his teacher with a sharp sickle when the latter confiscated his phone.

In a viral video, the student can be seen approaching the school menacingly with a sickle in hand demanding for his phone to be returned to him. The cameraman (presumably the teacher) then slides the phone across the floor to the student, who turned to leave after picking up his phone.

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Despite the school's strict no-phone policy, the young man had brought his phone to school to use during class hours, which resulted in his teacher confiscating his phone on the spot.

According to Detik News, the student had gone to school the day after his phone was taken but didn't show up for any of his lessons. He went home later that afternoon before returning with a sickle in hand.

As the school did not want to escalate the situation, the phone was immediately returned. They did, however, call the police to intervene.

A police chief told Indonesian media that the teen had likely only lost control due to a fit of anger. "He's a teenager so his emotions are still unstable, especially now that he's only living with his siblings as his parents are out of town," he explained.

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No criminal charges were pressed against the teen. Instead, the school decided to put the student through counselling in order to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Nomophobia, also known as cellphone addiction, is a cause for concern as cases of excessive mobile usage resulting in behavioural problems are on the rise. Non-profit agency Touch Cyber Wellness told The New Paper that it handled 34 cases in 2015, but the figure doubled to 76 in 2017.

While the addiction is still classified as a cultural phenomenon rather than a clinical disorder, treatment can be sought from organisations such as Touch Cyber Wellness and Touch Family Services should you know of someone who requires help.

rainercheung@asiaone.com