Two Women Have The Heart To Lock Toddlers Who Don't Stop Crying On Flights In Aircraft Toilets

Illustration of Juneyao Airlines. (Wikimedia Commons/N509FZ)

JAKARTA - Tega, dua perempuan penumpang pesawat harus menjalockan toddler yang terbang bersama grandparentsnya di toilet pesawat, lantaran menangis selama penerbangan maskapai China.

The incident angered the Bamboo Curtain Country, sparking debate over how to deal with crying children in public places.

The incident went viral late last month, after one of the two women involved uploaded a video on Chinese social media, showing them in a locked toilet with a crying girl, who appears to be about a year old.

"We're not going to let you go unless you stop crying," a woman who sits on the toilet told the toddler as she struggles out of the adult lap and grabs the door, according to a video posted on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, reported by CNN September 4.

When the girl stopped crying, the woman who recorded the video carried her and told her: "If you make another sound, we'll come back (to the bathroom)."

The incident occurred on August 24 on a Juneyao Airlines plane from Guiyang City in the southwest to Shanghai.

The toddler flew with his grandparents and cried non-stop during the nearly three-hour flight, the airline said in a statement. The two passengers took the child to the bathroom to "educate him" with his grandmother's permission, the statement added.

But a day later, as criticism escalated, the airline's customer service department apologized for the incident and "the crew's negligence," adding they condemned the behavior of the two passengers, according to the state-run Southern Metropolis Daily.

One of the women, who uploaded the video online, said her intention was to ensure a "calm flight" for other passengers.

However, his post immediately received a strong reaction, with many social media users accusing him of not insulting him and oppressing the child. Later, the video was later deleted.

"A adult in their 30s can experience emotional disorders, but people don't let toddlers experience it," said one comment on China's Weibo platform X-like, which garnered thousands of likes.

"We have all been children. Don't be cold-blooded adults," read another popular comment.

Many others have expressed concern that the incident could have a negative impact on the child's mental health.

Several Chinese state media also responded, accusing the two women of "inappropriate" behavior and calling for "larger understanding" of society towards young children who cannot control their emotions.

It is known that complaints about small children crying or acting indecently on planes and trains have become a trend on Chinese social media in recent years, with many accusing parents of not trying enough to manage their children's behavior.

These incidents have sparked ongoing debates about parenting in public places in China, where governments are trying hard to persuade their partners to have more children.