Chinese Teen Commits Suicide After Mom Slaps Him Publicly at School

suicidesuicide
Ryan General
September 30, 2020

A teenager in China committed suicide reportedly after his mother slapped him at school.

School tragedy: A 14-year-old boy from Wuhan, surnamed Zhang, jumped from a school building and fell to his death on Thursday, reports Global Times.

  • Zhang is a ninth-grader at No. 1 Middle School in the Jiangxia District.
  • The school’s headteacher summoned the boy’s parents for a meeting after he was caught playing poker. 
  • Surveillance footage in the school building’s hallway later showed the mother slapping the boy twice on the face after the meeting.
  • Shortly after, the mother went home, leaving Zhang standing silently for three minutes.
  • The boy then climbed over the railing on the fifth floor and jumped to his death.
  • Passing students were seen attempting to stop him.

Trending topic: The boy’s death, which has sparked an investigation by local education and judicial authorities, has also caused a heated online debate on Chinese social media. 

  • On Weibo, news about the incident has attracted hundreds of millions of views.
  • Some users noted that parents should not shame their children by beating them in public.
  • Meanwhile, others countered that parents should not take all the blame as teens often struggle psychologically and are swayed by extreme emotions. 
  • There are also commenters who asked people to refrain from criticizing the mother who is now grieving the loss of her son. 

Feature Image via 随便聊聊啊

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