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A video, featuring a child "bully" being publicly disciplined for his actions, has ignited a conversation about the practice of shaming kids into better behavior. The clip, found here, has amassed 3.7 million views, 789,000 likes, and 12,000 comments since the TikTok was shared Saturday.
The topic of parents publicly shaming their children has been subject to substantial debate over the last several years, especially given the tendency for these instances to go "viral" on social media. Experts, however, remain critical of the technique, arguing that public humiliation does more harm for a child than good.
The clip, posted by TikToker Gavin Klein (@usert0c8co0flo), is filmed from inside a stopped car and shows a child standing along the side of the road. He looks to be no older than 10 years old, though his exact age is unknown.
The child carries a large, handmade sign that reads, "I am a bully," against a neon-pink background.
The following line said: "Honk if you hate bullies."
The camera pans to the right, where two adults, presumably his parents, are watching from two outdoor folding chairs.
"Dude, that's so foul," says one of the car's passengers, off-camera. "I want to yell at the parents," says another.
While brief, the polarizing clip spurred intense debate in the comments section. Many, on the one hand, also disapproved of the parents' punishment style—regardless of whether or not the kid had been actually been "a bully."
"Oh ya traumatize them instead of getting to the root of the bullying [likely the parents themselves]," wrote @sleepyquinny.
"Negative reinforcement is the least effective way of raising kids," added @finesse.nabil. "Punishment makes kids just not wanna get caught, not stop doing it."
"Embarrassment causes trauma to both the child and the relationship with the parents. Not excusing his actions, but public humiliation is damaging," wrote @sakurakitsun3.
Countless others sided with the child's parents, calling the stunt the "perfect" way to punish a bully.
"You think the kid that got bullied isn't embarrassed everyday at school," noted @hannahdavis764. "He got a taste of his own medicine."
"Y'all are too sensitive," aded @killtheriffraff. "You have no idea what that little boy could've done or said to the other child."
"That's actually great parenting," said @maddiesunnnn.
Experts, however, remain skeptical of the practice. As parenting coach Jennifer Wolf noted in a 2020 article for VeryWell Family, shaming children "can seem to work in the beginning, but...will quickly backfire."
"While parents have probably used shame since the beginning to time, the reach of social media makes it more dangerous than ever," added Wolf. "Not only do you lose considerable relational equity, but shaming kids in public or online also tears down trust and self-esteem."
Newsweek reached out to Gavin Klein for comment.
