'It's my kid, I'll do as I wish': Malaysian police nab man who made toddler son vape in viral video
PHOTO: Screengrab from Facebook
PUBLISHED ONMay 06, 2021 5:15 AMByXavier Poh
Three days after a video of a toddler vaping went viral on social media in Malaysia, the police arrested his father.
The 23-year-old man is remanded until May 11, The Star reported on Wednesday (May 5).
According to the police, the incident occurred on May 2 in Selangor and the child's mother was present when the clip was filmed.
The boy, aged about two, was rescued from a flat two days later by the police and the welfare department.
"The child and his mother were then taken to the Kuala Lumpur hospital and both are being kept in the wards," the police added.
First published on May 5, 2021.
A recently uploaded Instagram video of a toddler offered with an electronic vaporiser – and then inhaling it – has created a stir on social media with the Malaysian police looking for the Instagram account owner, reportedly a woman.
In the video, the boy in diapers, tries two puffs of the electronic vaporiser – better known as vape. The child is then seen bending forward and covering his mouth in discomfort, possibly due to inhaling the vapour from the device.
An adult hand could also be seen lightly hitting the toddler’s left arm. A voice can be heard saying: "Three times already, what did mummy say?"
According to media reports, the user – believed to be the child's mother – followed up another Instagram story addressing the backlash from the public, which said: “It's my kid, I'll do as I wish. I'm the one taking care of him, stupid!"
Principal assistant director ACP Siti Kamsiah Hassan from the Women and Children Investigation Division was reported in the Malay Mail saying the police had yet to receive any reports regarding this issue.
However, she added that they are in the midst of finding out the owner of the Instagram account for investigations and to save the child.
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While this incident may seem to be a rare occurrence, a similar case had surfaced on social media.
In an October 2019 video that was circulated on Twitter, a child wearing diapers was using an electronic cigarette casually like an experienced smoker.
The tweet subsequently went viral in Malaysia, with many netizens expressing outrage and concern over the incident.
One user said: "Do we want something like this to be seen as normal behaviour?"