Internet Mad Over Dad Livestreaming 6-Year-Old Son Drinking Beer

A father in rural Sichuan Province is facing harsh criticism on social media for livestreaming his young son doing things like walking tightropes and drinking beer.

A father in rural Sichuan Province is facing harsh criticism on social media for livestreaming his young son doing things like walking tightropes and drinking beer.

Photo:Screenshot of Pear Video

Zhang Yu sparked controversy for the May 25 video in which his 6-year-old Wangwang slams two beers at a restaurant as his family urges him on.

Many netizens criticized Zhang for giving alcohol to a child.

Zhang said he just wants the best for his boy.

“I want my kids to take piano and dance lessons like kids in big cities do,” said the 34-year-old father of two, “But I am not able to afford them.”

Instead, Zhang teaches his son less conventional activities, including acrobatics, boxing and rock-climbing.

Six-year-old Wang Wang practises tightrope walking while blindfolded. Photo: Handout

Zhang explained he began livestreaming Wangwang’s acrobatics since January, and has so far gained 50,000 followers.

The father said he had started the broadcasts to improve his son’s self-confidence.

“I put his schooling and safety first,” he said, “But I do not mind if Wangwang becomes a popular kid on the Internet.”

Zhang, a farmer, said he and his wife earn only 4,000 yuan ($589) a month.

Father Zhang Yu looks on as Wang Wang balances on a wire. Photo: Handout

Not everyone is comfortable with Zhang’s relaxed approach to parenting, however. Some internet users expressed concern for the child’s health, while others feared he was being overexposed online.

“You might not be able to give him the best education, but you shouldn’t harm him ,” a person wrote on Weibo.

“Is [the father] using the child as a tool to make money?” wrote another.

Zhang dismissed the criticism, however.

“I don’t think it’s bad if people pay attention to my child,” the report quoted him as saying.

And he said he would never push his son to “walk tightropes for profit.”