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Louise Thomas

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Two passengers on a flight sparked a backlash in China after they locked up a toddler in an airplane toilet to stop her from crying.

The incident on the flight from Guiyang to Shanghai sparked a heated online debate about how to handle crying children in public spaces.

The two passengers who locked the distressed toddler in the toilet claimed they were trying to help others. However, many people on social media accused them of “bullying” the child and lacking empathy.

According to Juneyao Airlines, the child’s grandmother had given permission to the women to "educate" the crying child. The video showed one of the women telling the child that she could only leave the bathroom if she stopped crying.

One of the women, Gou Tingting, defended her actions, saying she wanted to calm the child and allow the other passengers to rest. Responding to the criticism, Ms Gou said she "prefers to take action rather than be a bystander" she wrote on China’s TikTok equivalent, Douyin, reported BBC News.

However, her explanation did little to quell the backlash, and her social media account has since 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, reported the British broadcaster.

The incident has raised questions about how to balance the needs of parents with crying children and the rights of other passengers to a peaceful flight.

In January, Corendon Dutch Airlines announced testing adult-only zones on its flights. It confirmed reserving a seat in the child-free section in its flight from Amsterdam to the Caribbean, adding that it will cost an extra €45 rising to €100 for extra-large seats.

And while some were happy to pay to sit in an adult-only part of the plane others wondered how airlines would adequately enforce a separation from noisy children, recalling issues with old ‘no-smoking zones’ on airplanes.

The debate extends beyond flights, with "no-kids zones" flourishing in cafes and restaurants in countries like South Korea. In London, a pub’s decision to ban children sparked a debate about discrimination against parents, particularly women.

Earlier in April this year, a customer who goes by the name Kyle took to X to share a snap of the sign outside of the restaurant, which said: “Dog friendly, child free”.

The tweet went viral on X, with some criticising the restaurant for not letting children in. Others claimed that the restaurant was discriminating against women, specifically those who are with their children.

“Banning children is banning parents. This disproportionately affects women,” one wrote. “If you are more okay eating next to an animal than a human baby and family you’re an ugly person idc.”

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