Secondary Schools Crack Down on Plush Toys Hanging from School Bags; Netizens List All Kinds of Bizarre School Rules Across Hong Kong

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The new school year has already passed its first month in the blink of an eye. When it comes to Hong Kong's secondary school rules, every Hongkonger surely has a "history of blood and tears." From the traditional "no hair dyeing," "school skirt length must be below the knee," to "mobile phones must be handed in to the school office for safekeeping," these are all collective memories. However, as times change, school rules have also been updated, and the restrictions have even extended to school bags! The recently popular Labubu, Chiikawa and other plush toys are deeply loved by adults and children alike. After buying their favourite items, students naturally want to hang them on their school bags for display. But who would have thought that this small personalised decoration would become the "number one contraband" in some schools?

🧸 Even Plush Toys on School Bags Are Regulated? And There's a Height Limit!
In recent years, the blind box plush toy trend has swept the city. Whether it's the cute Chiikawa or the new darling of the trendy toy world Labubu, they have become "standard equipment" on students' school bags. Many students go to school carrying school bags covered in plush toys, believing they can find a little healing in the dull campus life. Unexpectedly, many secondary schools have launched a major crackdown at the start of the school year, introducing new "plush toy rules," including: a total ban—some schools explicitly stipulate that no plush toys may be hung on school bags at all; restrictions on size and quantity—even if not completely banned, some schools have set peculiar standards, such as "plush toys must not exceed X centimetres in height," "only three allowed," and even checking whether the plush toy style is "too exaggerated or strange." Many students could not bear it and flooded social media with complaints: "It's really more absurd than going to prison, even hanging a plush toy is regulated!"

📋 Netizens List: What Other Bizarre School Rules Are There?
Netizens have listed the various "bizarre new policies" of secondary schools across all districts in Hong Kong:

(A) the "no luxury" trend—some traditional elite schools explicitly require students to be simple and not carry luxury goods or branded pencil cases;

(B) extremely strict daily restrictions—a Band 1 elite school in the North District even regulates mask colour (only white or blue allowed), hair tie style (only basic black), and even watch style;

(C) dress and behaviour rules—many schools strictly prohibit wearing PE kit all day, and even if there is a PE lesson that day, students can only rush to change before and after class; some schools even require students to write down their student number and destination in a booklet when going to the toilet.

💬 Why Can't They Be Hung? Netizens Debate Fiercely on Both Sides
Facing the students' litany of complaints, the internet immediately sparked heated discussion on both sides.

The pro-school-rules camp believes that school rules have their underlying considerations, such as maintaining simplicity and avoiding comparisons of family wealth. Campus family backgrounds vary greatly nowadays. If students are allowed to carry excessively luxurious items or blindly follow trends (such as expensive limited-edition plush toys or branded goods), it can easily cause unnecessary comparison and jealousy. Some comments also pointed out that putting away phones or restricting certain decorations is to protect property safety and reduce students' distraction during class.

The opposing/mocking camp believes the rules are outdated and deprive freedom. Many netizens and former students retort that the definitions of aesthetics and stress relief have changed in today's generation: "School is so stressful now, hanging a Chiikawa on your school bag to huddle together and glance at it makes you happier," "It's not like they're taking it out to play in class, why deprive personal freedom on the way to and from school?"