Two strangers lock crying toddler in aeroplane toilet, sparking online debate

The women thought their move was helping others, but not everyone agrees.

Two strangers who locked a crying toddler in an aeroplane toilet have sparked an online debate in China.

The incident went viral on Chinese social media after one of the two women, Gou Tingting, posted a video of herself carrying a crying girl inside a toilet cubicle, the BBC reported.

In her post, she tried to show she was helping others on board, who wanted a quieter flying experience, but not everyone agreed it was the right thing to do.

The incident took place on August 24 on a Juneyao Airlines flight to Shanghai.

The airline later said the girl was travelling with her grandmother, and the grandmother gave the women – two strangers - permission to “educate” her granddaughter by taking her away to the toilet.

Another video posted on social media reportedly showed one of the strangers telling the little girl she could only leave the toilet if she stopped crying.

Many criticised Ms Tingting (the woman who posted the video) and accused her of “bullying” the child.

The two Chinese women said they wanted to calm the toddler down. Picture: Getty

Ms Tingting said she did not want to be a bystander.

“I just wanted to calm the child down and let everyone rest,” she wrote on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.

She claimed the crying forced others to the back of the plane, with some even stuffing their ears with toilet paper to block the noise.

Ms Tingting’s social media account has now been set to private.

“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 wrote on Weibo.

Another wrote: “We should be thinking about how public spaces can better accept and accommodate young children.”

But others agreed the toilet was the right choice, particularity given the girl’s grandmother had encouraged the move.

“To be honest, some children cannot do without some education,” a Weibo user wrote.

Some airlines, including Turkish-Dutch carrier Corendon Airlines and Singapore-based Scoot offer passengers the option to be seated in a child-free zone, for a price.

There has been growing debate in China on how to deal with “bear children”.

“Bear children” as they are colloquially known in China, are spoilt kids who kick up a fuss in public places.

Some public places in China, such as trains, have introduced designated child-free areas, but lawmakers have called on a ban to these zones, saying society needs to be more inclusive of children.