A viral video of a young boy getting punished for being a bully has ignited debate on TikTok.
On Saturday, TikTok user Gavin Klein (@usert0c8co0flo) uploaded a video he captured in southwestern Florida showing a young boy standing on the side of a busy road with a large sign that reads ‘I am a bully. Honk if you hate bullies.’
His parents can be seen supervising nearby.
While some commenters think the mom and dad are teaching the boy a great lesson, others say it’s ‘mean’ and ‘foul’ — and makes the parents into bullies themselves.
Gavin Klein, a TikTok user, filmed this video of a small boy who stood on the sidelines of busy roads in Southwest Florida.
He is seen holding up a big neon that reads ‘I am a bully. Honk if you hate bullies’
Several feet away, a man and woman – his parents – can be seen sitting in outdoor lounge chairs. Both look unbothered
The youngster appears to be paying a penalty after getting caught bullying another child.
In the video, he is seen standing in a grassy area, holding up a neon sign affixed to a piece of wood.
The sign’s message is in clear and in all caps and plainly visible to cars on the road.
The boy certainly seems unhappy with the punishment, and appears to be using the sign to cover part of his face.
Several feet away, a man and woman can be seen sitting in outdoor lounge chairs. Both look unbothered, the woman sitting with her legs crossed and the man sitting with a dog resting at his feet.
Gavin, who recored the video, can be heard discussing it with his friend from his car, with both voicing disapproval.
Gavin called it mean and foul, while commenters called the parents bullies. They said that they could clearly see how the kid got it.
‘That’s so mean! That’s so foul,’ he says.
‘I wanna yell at the parents,’ adds the friend.
The video has racked up over 3.7 views, and commenters have also weighed in on the punishment — and seem to be split on whether it’s too harsh or appropriate.
‘Humiliating children is traumatic,’ wrote one. ‘Especially these, they aren’t fully developed. Kids who act out tend to have something wrong at home,’ wrote one.
‘Well we see where he gets it from,’ said another.
‘Negative reinforcement is the least effective way of raising kids,’ wrote a third. ‘Punishment makes kids just not wanna get caught, not stop doing it.’
‘The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Kids act out when they are lacking guidance, attention, and love in the household,’ wrote a fourth.
Others agree with the parent’s tactic. They said embarrassment would teach their child a lesson.
However, many commenters praise parents for their move and say it’s a great way of dealing with bullying.
You’re not strong if you oppose this punishment. The author said that the kid must learn from his mistakes.
One wrote: “That’s parenting.” It’s a discipline, embarrassment that will stop them from doing it again.
“You don’t think that the bully isn’t embarrassing every day at school?” He had a little taste of his own medicine’, wrote another.
Another commented, “That’s great parenting,” using clapping emoticons.