{"id":3546,"date":"2026-04-27T10:28:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phonelocker.com\/?p=3546"},"modified":"2026-04-30T15:47:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T15:47:37","slug":"87th-china-educational-equipment-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phonelocker.com\/zh\/87th-china-educational-equipment-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Phone Locker\u00ae at the 87th China Educational Equipment Exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

As conversations around screen time, distraction, and digital wellbeing continue to grow globally, one solution is quietly reshaping how schools approach mobile phone use without conflict, without confiscation, and without compromise.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the 87th China Educational Equipment Exhibition in Chengdu, themed \u201cAI-Led Quality Development in Educational Equipment,\u201d<\/i> Phone Locker\u00ae made its first appearance on the Chinese stage. Already established in over 30 countries\u2014including the UK, Australia, Canada, and across Europe\u2014the brand\u2019s return to its country of origin marks a significant milestone in its journey.<\/p>\n

At the centre of this story is Bryan Deng, Founder and CEO of Phone Locker\u00ae, speaking with china.com<\/a>, who shared the philosophy behind a product that is as much about human behaviour as it is about technology.<\/p>\n

Read the interview here:<\/h4>\n

A Conversation with Bryan Deng, Founder & CEO<\/h2>\n

Standard interview transcript \u00a0\u00b7 \u00a0Chengdu, China \u00a0\u00b7 \u00a0April 2026<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Interviewer: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Welcome, everyone. We\u2019re live at the 87th China Educational Equipment Exhibition, and we\u2019re delighted to be here at the booth of PANGEA International Business Services (Guangzhou). With us today is the company\u2019s founder and CEO, Bryan Deng. Bryan, it\u2019s a pleasure to have you. Could you start by telling us a bit about Phone Locker\u00ae \u2014 the brand, where it sits in the market, and what brought you to this exhibition?<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Bryan Deng: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Thank you. Phone Locker\u00ae has actually been operating overseas for many years now. We\u2019ve been selling across the UK, Australia, Europe and Canada, and the brand has built a strong reputation in these markets \u2014 helping local schools and educational organisations address the issue of excessive phone use among students.<\/p>\n

The reason we\u2019re exhibiting here is that this is our very first time presenting at this expo in China. The product is partly developed and produced in China as well, so we\u2019re genuinely excited to bring it to everyone at the show \u2014 and to see what people here discover in it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interviewer: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>This year\u2019s expo is focused on AI and quality development in education. How does Phone Locker\u00ae speak to that theme?<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Bryan Deng: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Honestly, AI is something all of us are having to face, and it\u2019s a difficult question to answer \u2014 because everyone has a different understanding of AI, and therefore a different view on it.<\/p>\n

But from our perspective, we always come back to the principle of being human-centred \u2014 especially given that this is an education product. If adults are finding AI challenging, then children almost certainly need more support in this area.<\/p>\n

The way we encounter all things digital \u2014 including AI and robotics \u2014 tends to be through the phone. So if we can find a way to actively and effectively share governance with students around this device, it gives students, teachers, and parents a much greater sense of security.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Once you manage that medium well, you also help students build a healthier relationship with AI and intelligent agents going forward. I think over the next decade or two, the children growing up today will be interacting with AI every single day \u2014 that\u2019s a very different reality from the one we grew up in.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interviewer: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>School leaders often worry that confiscating phones creates conflict between teachers and students. How does Phone Locker\u00ae\u2019s trust-and-co-governance approach help to ease that?<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Bryan Deng: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Yes \u2014 at the heart of what we do, there\u2019s a core philosophy: focus, trust, co-governance, and growth. And there are a lot of lovely stories tied to this.<\/p>\n

Not long ago we received a wonderful message \u2014 a German child, around ten years old, wrote to us in German on social media. The message was, roughly: \u201cHow could you be so mean, inventing this thing!\u201d It was a very sweet joke, of course.<\/p>\n

But at the same time, we\u2019ve had so many students tell us that the product actually makes them happy. We\u2019ve seen children proudly showing us their phones inside the pouch \u2014 and on TikTok abroad, some of those clips have racked up tens of thousands of likes.<\/p>\n

I genuinely think this is a story about growth. When we\u2019re young, everything seems cool. As we grow up, we start to take things seriously. So much of how teachers and parents communicate with children is about gradually learning to consider the other person, rather than just oneself \u2014 and that\u2019s when things become more thoughtful. To me, that is the relationship of growth.<\/p>\n

Getting that relationship right is what really matters \u2014 and it\u2019s where our product differs from many traditional approaches. The traditional model is to take the phones away and lock them up centrally. Our philosophy is different: this isn\u2019t only about a child\u2019s self-discipline \u2014 it\u2019s something parents, teachers, and society need to address together, in a more social way.<\/p>\n

In that context, we let trust and co-governance do the work. Phone Locker\u00ae offers convenience, of course \u2014 you can manage phones effectively without confiscating them \u2014 but at its core, the product is about reinforcing mutual trust.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t take the child\u2019s phone away. It stays with them. And after long-term use, psychologists and education researchers studying schools have found that children naturally develop a kind of unspoken agreement among themselves. You\u2019ll hear them say things like, \u201cLet\u2019s all keep our phones put away \u2014 let\u2019s not take them out.\u201d They come to recognise that this is good for them, and they collectively look after that learning environment.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s reassuring for parents \u2014 and the children themselves genuinely enjoy the product. That part has been a real surprise for us. In interviews abroad, so many children have told us how much they love it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interviewer: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Phone Locker\u00ae doesn\u2019t only focus on management efficiency \u2014 it also embraces a strong social-enterprise ethos. What\u2019s the brand thinking behind that?<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Bryan Deng: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>This has been a real challenge for us. As a business, of course you have to think about commercial operations first. The product itself came from genuine needs in the education sector \u2014 we developed it together with our clients.<\/p>\n

In the early days, we didn\u2019t think about all of this consciously. But our company culture has always leaned towards getting involved in things that benefit society. And as we worked more closely with children and educators, we gradually realised the weight of responsibility we were carrying.<\/p>\n

This product was never going to be a pure commodity. Beyond being a solution, it has very strong social-enterprise characteristics \u2014 and that means we need to think about a lot more than just running a business.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019d like to share something from an acquaintance of mine \u2014 Dr. G\u00f6ran Carstedt, the former President of Volvo Sweden and IKEA North America and Europe. He\u2019s a key figure in advancing ESG thinking globally, including in Asia, and he has a deep love for China. He often says that China, in this new era, will make a tremendous contribution to global ESG development.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one thing he said that really stayed with me:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a company exists only to pursue profit, it\u2019s like saying a person lives only to pursue water and air. There ought to be more than that.\u201d<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

When we spoke, his advice to me was simply: \u201cJust do this well, and do it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re living in a remarkable era \u2014 information is incredibly open. Through platforms like TikTok and Xiaohongshu, audiences pay attention to what companies are doing. In an age this transparent, whether a company takes on social responsibility, whether it brings something good into the world beyond just profit \u2014 that has become genuinely important.<\/p>\n

It also gives all of us a real opportunity to be a force for good. I think that\u2019s something to be excited about. Many of our younger colleagues are here because they want to be part of something with purpose and ambition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interviewer: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Finally, Bryan \u2014 what are your hopes for this exhibition and for Phone Locker\u00ae\u2019s next chapter? What kind of partnerships are you looking to build with the education community?<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Bryan Deng: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Yes \u2014 this is our first time exhibiting in China. After years of building experience overseas, we\u2019re finally bringing the product home for the first time.<\/p>\n

I was born in Guangzhou, left for school abroad at 17, came back in my twenties to start a business, and have spent my career in international trade and educational product development. So I\u2019m genuinely looking forward to being able to contribute, in some small way, to society and to my country \u2014 and to explore what\u2019s possible together with everyone here at the show and across the wider education community.<\/p>\n

The product has already been validated in many markets abroad \u2014 including Japan and Singapore. Now that we\u2019re finally bringing it home, our hope is simple: that it will benefit children, parents, and teachers alike.<\/p>\n

We come back with a real spirit of humility \u2014 eager to learn from everyone, and to explore the road ahead together with fellow educators.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interviewer: \u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Thank you so much, Bryan, for sharing all of this with us. We wish PANGEA every success with this first appearance at the expo. Thank you.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Watch the interview:<\/h4>\n