On 24 Aug, a domestic flight in China took a dramatic turn when a grandmother allegedly allowed two strangers to lock a crying toddler inside the plane toilet as a disciplinary measure.
According to the BBC, the incident unfolded aboard a Juneyao Airlines flight from Guiyang to Shanghai.
As the toddler, who was travelling with her grandmother, began crying and disrupting other passengers, two women intervened.
They took the child into the restroom and recorded the encounter, which was later shared on social media.
In the video, one of the women is heard telling the toddler: “You can go out if you stop crying.”
The footage quickly went viral, drawing intense criticism from netizens who accused the women of lacking empathy and bullying the child.
Source: @shanghaidaily on X
Many questioned the appropriateness of confining a toddler in a small space for disciplinary purposes.
Juneyao Airlines later released a statement clarifying that the girl’s grandmother had given permission for the two women to take the child into the bathroom.
The grandmother waited outside the restroom during the incident.
In its statement, the airline also noted that the toddler’s mother expressed understanding of the actions taken by the two female passengers.
Although the statement did not specify the child’s age, local media reports indicate she was around one to two years old.
Responding to queries by the Southern Metropolis Daily, Juneyao Airlines emphasised its condemnation of such “educational” practices.
The airline also stated that only one person is permitted to enter the plane restroom at a time.
Apologising for the incident and the crew’s oversight, Juneyao Airlines committed to making improvements to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
In defence against the backlash, one of the female passengers explained that her intention was to calm the child, whose crying had disturbed other passengers.
She noted that some passengers had even moved to the back of the plane to escape the noise.
The woman has since made her social media account private.
Despite the widespread criticism, some sided with the two women.
They argued that since the toddler’s grandmother had given consent, the intervention was justified.
Others believed that such measures might even be necessary for disciplining children who disrupt public spaces.
Also read: Passenger refuses to give up first-class airplane seat for child, asks if she is in the wrong
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Featured image adapted from @shanghaidaily on X.
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