China Has a Brilliant Way to Stop People From Looking at Their Phones During Shows

Classroom teachers and construction workers have been using laser pointer for years, mostly to highlight details in a presentation or to check their levels. But theaters in China have found a new use for pocket-sized lasers: Shaming audience members into putting away their phones.

The laser-shaming is becoming a common practice at some performance halls in China, like the Shanghai Grand Theater or the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, The New York Times reports. When a theater patron is caught using his or her mobile device, an usher will point a tiny infrared dot at the offender to alert them to stop using their phone.

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This prevents employees from having to walk over to the audience member and alert them verbally, which can be disruptive during a performance. Ushers in Chinese venues are instructed to point these tiny lasers over a patron’s shoulder to avoid getting it in the person’s eyes, which can be potentially harmful.