“We want to teach her a lesson,” said one woman after locking a crying toddler in a plane’s toilet due to the little girl’s constant wailing leaving everyone aboard annoyed.
The incident occurred on a Juneyao Airlines flight from Guiyang to Shanghai when the baby started loudly crying due to the changes in pressure once the plane took off, frustrating passengers who resorted to stuffing tissues in their ears to drown out the noise.
Attempts by the grandparents to calm the little girl by entertaining her with a phone failed and, feeling pressured by other travelers, they gave permission to two women to take matters into their own hands.
One of them, Gou Tingting, shared the clip on social media, where the toddler is seen trapped in a small bathroom with the two, desperately hitting the door and asking to be let out.
“I just wanted to educate the child and let everyone have a good rest,” Tingting said, ordering the one-year-old to remain silent for three full minutes if she wanted to see her grandmother again.
Social media erupted in anger after strangers locked a toddler in a plane’s toilet in order to “teach her a lesson” and force her to stop crying
The two women then proceeded to tell the girl she could only see her grandmother again if she stopped crying. The toddler is seen protesting, and the video abruptly ends, but sources from the flight indicate that she indeed calmed down and remained silent for the rest of the flight.
Upon landing in Shanghai, where the girl was to reunite with her father, police reportedly became involved, but the grandmother came to the women’s defense, leading to no action being taken against them.
After being posted on Chinese social media, the video garnered fierce criticism from local netizens, who believed the measures taken by the women were extreme and could’ve caused psychological damage to the girl.
Others directed their anger at the carrier, believing that it’s the responsibility of flight attendants to handle those situations instead of random passengers.
Juneyao Airlines acknowledges the situation and announced that an internal investigation into the issue is taking place.
“While flight attendants aim to help calm distressed children, they are not always present, and decisions made by passengers during such situations are treated as emergencies,” a representative said.
“If the child continues to cry there is not a lot that the flight attendant can do.”
The video sparked fierce debate on the Chinese app Weibo, where it went viral, with users criticizing Tingting for the way she treated the little girl
The intensity of the backlash forced Gou Tingting to set her Weibo account to private, as more and more users came to her post to debate the extent to which parents, and strangers, should go to discipline their children.
“Children cannot control their emotions when they are one or two years old. What’s wrong with crying? Didn’t you cry when you were young too?” one user asked on the app.
Others were more understanding of the woman, believing her punishment of the toddler was a necessary last resort.
“A persistently screaming baby on a plane is a nightmare for the other passengers and particularly for the parents, who will be at their wits’ end trying to stop it,” wrote another.
Some users explained that the issue might be inevitable, as pressure changes during take-off can be particularly painful for toddlers’ eardrums, causing confusion and triggering a crying episode.
Doctors advise parents to pay special attention to children’s ears during take-off, as the changes in pressure can cause them pain, especially if they are suffering from a cold or infection
A 2007 pediatrics study in the National Library of Medicine (NIH) explains that while flying does not damage a baby’s ears, it usually causes temporary pain and discomfort. However, changes in pressure can cause serious issues if the toddler is affected by an ear infection, in which case it’s recommended to delay the flight and visit a doctor beforehand.
The paper explains that a topical nasal decongestant can be used before boarding as directed by a physician. Swallowing and sucking are also effective strategies to minimize discomfort during takeoff and landing.
Other recommendations include taking into consideration the presence of cardiopulmonary diseases that may require oxygen during flight and keeping children well secured on their seats to avoid accidents during turbulence.
Travel experts also recommend remaining calm at all times, as babies are prone to picking up on their parents’ moods, especially in unfamiliar environments.
As news of the controversial disciplinary measure spread from Chinese social media to Western peers, debate followed
Some were shocked to learn that the grandmother herself was the one who gave permission to two strangers to “educate” the little girl.
“Unbelievable. The airline said in a statement two days after the incident that the girl’s grandmother had agreed to let two women take the girl to the toilet,” one user wrote.
“Headlines should read ‘Grandmother allowed 2 strangers to abuse a baby,’” argued another.
“Poor little kid. Your ears can hurt at altitude. She might have been hurting and she wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone, or know what was causing it. Then being carried away by strangers and locked up would send her in a crying fit, all on its own,” one reader explained.
Others understood the grandmother’s frustration and empathized with her helplessness, defending the two women for stopping the toddler’s tantrum.
“They did the grandparents a favor and they did not hurt the child. She was extremely upset to the point that it was difficult to calm her down and the other passengers had probably had enough,” one stated.
“The child was placed in a quiet space, with the grandmother’s permission, until she calmed down. She then remained quiet for the rest of the flight. Job well done in my honest opinion,” another said in favor of the disciplinary measure.
Netizens debated the issue, with some criticizing the grandmother for allowing strangers to punish the girl, while others supported her decision
