WATCH: Netizens Are Appalled & Angered By This Viral Video Of A Man Letting A Baby Vape

By Lara Kramer  •  in News
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source: The Conversation

You probably don’t need an explicit warning to tell you that vaping can be extremely detrimental to your baby’s health, and is definitely not advisable even in a joking context.

A video of a baby ‘smoking’ a vape device went viral lately, originating from a woman’s instagram story where she captured the act of a man, presumed to be the child’s father, putting a vape to the baby’s mouth while the woman sniggered in the background.

@urexmun #babyisapvape #viralvideo #fyp ♬ original sound – UrexMun

While it cannot be ascertained whether the vape was empty or not, netizens have noted that the act itself was irksome and extremely irresponsible.

In fact, portraying such behaviour online could encourage others to do the same, especially the young impressionable kids on the app.

Twitter user @fanaizty who saw the video on Instagram took matters into her own hands and reported the incident to the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM).

Meanwhile, a thread of speculations surrounded the matter, with some claiming that the man was most likely not the child’s father, while others noted that even if the baby did not inhale the fumes from the vape, germs may have spread due to the contact of the baby’s mouth and the vape device.

In a follow-up tweet, the Twitter user who made the report explained that she personally requested KPWKM to take the child away from the individuals who committed the act as well as the baby’s parents due to their negligence and irresponsibility.

She also told the Ministry that she presumed the baby was a girl and confirmed that her report against the perpetrators was in line with the fact that the baby was given a vape to smoke.

Following that, JKM officers in the Bandar Baru Uda area called to inform her that they were unable to take action beyond simply advising the parents to be careful and more mindful of their child.

The same day, the man who was recorded committing the act took to Instagram to post a story whereby he explained that the police had taken his statement. He also clarified that the vape was not functioning and that he was not the baby’s father.

In the same post, the man apologised for his actions and admitted that he was in the wrong.

A similar incident took place last year, when parents who forced their 2-year-old toddler to vape as a joke on social media were reprimanded by netizens.

UPDATE: North Johor Bahru District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Rupiah Abd Wahid has confirmed that the stattion received a police report regarding the viral video at 2.56 p.m. yesterday made by the mother of the seven-month-old baby girl.

An early investigation was carried out whereby the police arrested a 23-year-old man believed to be an acquaintance of the baby’s aunt at 12.45 yesterday afternoon.

“The suspect, who is also a trader, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Division, District Police Headquarters (IPD), North Johor Bahru (JBU). He has been remanded will go to court,” he said in a media statement.

Rupiah said that the case is being investigated in accordance with Section 31(1)(a) of the Children’s Act 2001. Elaborating on the incident, he said that the baby’s mother informed her that she and her son were at the restaurant with her younger sister and the male suspect who was present was also an acquaintance of her sister.

“The complainant informed that the suspect was carrying the baby, and suddenly with the intention of joking, put a non-functioning vape in the baby’s mouth.

“The incident was recorded by the complainant’s sister before the recording was uploaded on a social media site and went viral. The video was later criticised by the community on social media,” he said.

He also advised the public not to issue inaccurate comments and information to avoid dispute among the community.

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