America News Agency

Two women have been charged with child abuse after separating a crying child from her grandmother and locking her in a plane toilet on a domestic flight.

In a video posted to social media by one of the women, the girl is seen crying and trying to get out of a locked toilet door. One of the women can be heard saying, "If you stop crying, you can go out", and "If you stop crying, Auntie will take you back to your grandmother." Neither of the women is thought to be related to the child.

The incident occurred on August 24 on a flight from the southwestern Chinese city of Guiyang to Shanghai. Juneyao Airlines, which operated the flight, confirmed the incident and said the child was taken to the toilet with her grandmother's permission to receive "education." The airline later said it had spoken to the child’s mother, who was not on the plane and said she “understood” the woman’s actions.

The incident went viral on social media after one of the women, Gou Tingting, uploaded a video to Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.

Gou was initially proud of her intervention. “Many passengers were using tissues to cover their ears,” she reportedly wrote. “Some had gone to the back of the plane to escape the noise.” However, the video was deleted after an online backlash. Local media reports said the grandmother was unaware the incident was being filmed.

One Weibo user wrote: “The grandmother and two aunties should be sued, and social services should intervene. If there are parents like this, the children will suffer in the future.”

Another wrote: “When will these people realise that babies have the right to cry and travel, they are part of society and so are babies!!!!!!!”

The incident also touched off a debate about Xiong Haizi, or "bear children," a slang term used in China for unruly young children seen as spoiled or mischievous.

After a video of the incident sparked outrage online, the airline said the girl had been taken to the toilet with her grandmother's permission.