Blind-box pens on display at a stationery store. Photo: The Cover

Blind-box pens featuring popular anime characters have become a new craze among primary school students in China, prompting concerns from parents and teachers over repeated purchases, peer comparison and classroom distraction, The Cover, a news outlet affiliated with Sichuan Daily, reported on Wednesday.

The pens, which come in different designs including "rare" and "hidden" editions, generally cost between 5 yuan and 20 yuan ($3) each. Some parents said their children repeatedly bought the pens in hopes of collecting a full set or getting a coveted design, leaving piles of barely used pens at home. Teachers also said the colorful pens were increasingly being treated as toys in class, distracting students, adding that some schools have banned them.

During visits to stationery stores near primary schools in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, The Cover found blind-box pens featuring popular IPs such as Ultraman and Naruto. Shop owners said students often bought several at a time to increase their chances of getting preferred designs. One retailer said a student had attempted to resell a rare pen bought for 10 yuan for 30 yuan at school. Some packages were marked as prohibited for sale to children under 8 years old.

Ji Dahai, an education expert, said that blind-box marketing around schools could encourage speculative, gambling-like behavior and unhealthy comparison among children. He called for schools to strengthen education on rational consumption and for regulators to step up oversight of marketing targeting minors around campuses.

Global Times