A video showing a young boy setting fire to roadside vegetation while an adult believed to be his mother looked on has sparked outrage on social media in China.
The incident reportedly took place on June 14 in Jining, Shandong Province, and was captured by a passer-by identified as Mr Dai.
According to local reports, Mr Dai said he initially noticed a boy, believed to be around 10 years old, standing beside a grassy area while playing with fire using burning tissue paper. Nearby, an adult believed to be the child’s mother was sitting on an electric motorcycle.
Despite witnessing the child’s actions, the adult allegedly made no attempt to stop him.
Mr Dai said that when he later returned to the area, the fire had grown significantly larger and was spreading through the roadside vegetation.
He claimed the adult continued sitting on the motorcycle without trying to extinguish the flames, while the boy appeared panicked as the situation worsened.
According to the witness, once the fire became uncontrollable, the adult allegedly drove away with the child, leaving the scene behind.
Concerned that the blaze could spread further, particularly because it was burning near a utility pole, Mr Dai stepped in and attempted to extinguish the flames using sand from the ground.
Several other passers-by later joined the effort, and together they managed to put out the fire before it could cause more serious damage.
The video quickly went viral online, triggering widespread criticism from netizens who were particularly angered by the adult’s alleged failure to intervene.
While many agreed that the child’s actions were dangerous, they argued that the adult bore greater responsibility for allowing the behaviour to continue unchecked.
“Call the police. The parent should be held accountable and educated,” one commenter wrote.
Another netizen said: “I don’t even know what to say. This is unbelievable.”
Others warned that failing to address such behaviour could encourage similar incidents in the future.
“Letting them get away with it means there will be a next time,” one user commented.
Some social media users even described the incident as an attempted act of arson, while others argued that children who are not taught the consequences of playing with fire could end up learning those lessons the hard way.
The incident has reignited discussions online about parental responsibility and the growing concern over adults who fail to correct dangerous behaviour by their children.
