China has introduced toilet paper dispensers that will only dispense toilet paper after a user watches an ad in some public restrooms.
The controversial move was enacted to reduce toilet paper wastage but has drawn ridicule and criticism from netizens in China.
Videos circulating online show the dispenser with a QR code on it. Individuals must scan the QR code with their phone and watch the ensuing ad before the dispenser dispenses toilet paper.
Users also have the option of skipping the ad, but it will cost them 0.5 RMB (BD 0.027).
The move comes after several news reports revealed that individuals were taking excessive amounts of toilet paper.
However well-intentioned, the bizarre new system has drawn criticism online. Netizens wondered what would happen if the person using the toilet had no charge on their phone or if they had no internet connection.
This isn't the first time that China has experimented with toilet paper dispensers. In 2017, the toilets at Beijing's Temple of Heaven park started utilising facial recognition technology to dispense toilet paper. After a fixed amount was dispensed, the dispensers enforced a nine-minute delay before issuing more paper to the same person.
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