A father being recorded on Instagram Live while physically disciplining his son has sparked a heated discussion on the internet after a user named @KO_Sequence posted the video on X. The parent in the video can be seen striking his child with a belt for smoking cigarettes and being disrespectful towards his mother in the past.
Upon first viewing the Instagram Live feed, many people became aware that the event was taking place in real-time; they were witnessing the event happen as they were watching the video. In the video, after repeatedly striking his young child, the father then asks if he will smoke again.
https://twitter.com/KO_Sequence/status/2048778444285317453
Instagram Live video sparks debate over parenting and discipline
The Instagram Live feed was the source of the majority of this online argument regarding what constitutes appropriate or inappropriate discipline methods. The post that accompanied the Instagram Live video also helped to spur this discussion. It stated, “A father did this to his son on IG live after he discovered his son smoking cigarettes, was this GOOD or BAD parenting?”
The reach of the video continued to increase quickly; The Instagram Live video is reported to have received 1.1 Million plus views, 25K plus likes, and approximately 2.8 K comments, indicating how much engagement and feeling for this video it generated.
Instagram Live video divides the internet with strong reactions
Large numbers of social media users reacted quickly and gave comments and many are divided in their opinions. Some are supporting strict discipline and lack of support for the live streaming of the whipping. “Kids deserve a beating, but live-streaming their beating I believe is unnecessary,” said one of the commenters.
On the other hand, some viewers expressed their disgust by stating, “Humanity died today .. What a shameful act” Another post cited their disbelief in the video being recorded and live-streamed. “There is no animal on this earth that deserves to be treated in the same manner as this child”.
Instagram Live video raises concerns over humiliation and violence
The video caused many social media users to express their distaste for the despicable act and the transmission of the video to the internet. One user posted, “What a horrible thing by beating and humiliating your own child to put it on social media, that is the most horrible thing a parent can do; One day when he is old and alone in a nursing home he will understand why.”
The majority of comments centered on the behavior of the child and cautioning against the lack of respect for his parents, such as this comment, “He disrespected his mom, don’t ever do that.” And another user echoed, “You’re just too young for that.” Another user stated that the Instagram live would continue to open up the topic of disciplinary techniques used by parents when raising their children and that traditionally, parents have used physical punishment to discipline their children with comments like, “Spare the rod, spoil the child” and a similar mindset to “If we don’t beat our children, we aren’t teaching them respect.”
Instagram Live video fuels wider discussion on parenting styles
These viewpoints on parenting are clearly steeped in a long-standing belief system about how to raise children and discipline or punish them appropriately. They have also surfaced in discussion through the recent, live Instagram video of the child; comments made by individuals referencing the topic of abusive parenting and abusive discipline/parenting practices.
Some parents said that they learned how to hit/discipline their children based on what white people and slavery taught/have taught them to do, and therefore, in order to stop that cycle of violence, we need to unlearn these negative behaviors and most importantly, teach children there are many more effective ways to discipline or punish them for behavior that does not meet with societal expectations.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
