A boy in Shanghai, China, took his father to court after the man allegedly aired the family’s private disputes in several group chats, including his son’s school chat, causing the child embarrassment and emotional distress.
According to the South China Morning Post, the father, identified only by the surname Lin, had an acrimonious relationship with his estranged wife. Their son lived with his mother and was caught in the middle of the ongoing conflict.
Instead of keeping the disputes private, Lin allegedly posted details of the family’s arguments in multiple online groups. Since November last year, he reportedly used highly emotional and derogatory language in his son’s class group chat, a parents’ chat group and a neighbourhood chat group.
In the messages, Lin accused his wife and her parents of breaking up the family and turning his son against him.
Feeling humiliated by the public posts, the boy filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to stop his father from publishing defamatory or threatening messages, as well as harassing or stalking him and other close relatives.
The Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court ruled in the boy’s favour, finding that the father’s actions had violated his son’s personal dignity and right to privacy.
The court also ruled that Lin’s behaviour had caused psychological harm to his family and amounted to domestic violence.
As part of its decision, the court issued a protection order barring Lin from contacting his son and other close relatives through phone calls, text messages or online posts.
However, the court rejected the boy’s request for a complete no-contact order, meaning the father may still visit and maintain parental supervision when appropriate.
The ruling drew widespread support online, with many social media users saying parents who publicly expose family conflicts can leave lasting emotional scars on their children.
