The video blew up on social media and went viral. Netizen were divided, many people were furious, outraged, like me. And many people, especially young people in their 20s were rooting for the two evil women, saying that the little girl needed to be educated.

To be honest, I’m not surprised to see the division, and that’s actually the topic that I would like dig deeper and talk about today. It's interesting to see this growing "anti-child" culture in our society.It seems like more and more people are openly expressing their dislike or even hatred of children, and it feels almost socially acceptable. And I’ve been thinking, why? Why do people hate kids.

In some ways, I think this culture is the by-product of the One-Child Policy in China. Growing up under that policy, many of us were raised as the only child in the family. We didn’t have siblings to compete with orcare for, and that shaped our attitudes toward young children. We are more used to getting our own way, having our personal space, and not having to make compromises. And that’s when we started developing this expectation, that the world would cater to us, not the other way around.

As a result, I think many of us have developed a very low tolerance for anything that disrupts our comfort and convenience. And children,especially toddlers, by nature, they're loud, they're messy, they're unpredictable. They need constant attention. And guess what, it’s not their fault. They’re wired in this way so that they can get the attention, love and care from their caregivers, so that they can survive. And guess what, you and Iand everybody, we’ve been like that when we were little. So, for people who grew up without siblings, who maybe never learned what it is like to share space or deal with constant noise, this can be overwhelming. I get it. But,please, think twice before you start giving a nasty look to their parents, before you shush the kid. How can you expect a young child behave like a decent adult? Think about how old they are, are they still a toddler? Are their parents already trying their best to calm them down? For me, the key factors I will take into consideration are, how old is the child and their parent’s attitude. I draw the age line at around 3, 4 years old, because before that,toddlers can’t even rationalize their own emotions and feelings, they can’t put their feelings into words, let alone regulate their emotions. And also, for me,if the parents are trying their best to guide and model their children, I will just suck it up. What else can you do, grab the kid and beat them up? Like thet wo evil women in the video? That’s abuse, that’s illegal.

And here’s the thing: in a society that increasingly values individualism and personal freedom, people start to feel entitled to their dislike of children. It’s almost as if some people see their aversion to kids as something cool and applaudable. It becomes easy to justify this dislike because children are vulnerable, easy targets. Imagine, if it was an adult male who made a scene in public and disturbed these two women, would they still have the courage to drag the man to the side and start threatening him? I’m the sure they wouldn’t. Because they are bullies. They only dare to pick on a young child and an old lady. 

In the comments, you can even see some highly educated individuals, people who have spent years studying, thinking critically, and supposedly broadening their understanding of the world, still failed to see through this anti-child sentiment. Many of them proudly announced their dislike of children, perhaps thinking that it makes them appear more edgy, cool or modern. But in reality, this mindset is wrong, is toxic, and it overlooks things like, what it means to live in a community and contribute to the greater good of the society.

Education should be about more than just acquiring knowledge; it should be about developing empathy and understanding different groups of people and societal structures. And yet, even those with the highest levels of education can’t see the consequences of their attitudes toward children. They may see their aversion to kids as a personal choice, but the truth is, it’s a reflection of deeper cultural biases.

It’s sad because sometimes, the smallest gestures can make a huge difference. A simple smile or a kind word can go a long way in helping parents who are struggling to manage their children in public spaces. Parents often feel overwhelmed and isolated, and just knowing that someone else seesthem and understands can help them navigate those difficult moments. We’re all part of this larger community, and children aren’t just their parents’responsibility; they’re the future of our society.

Even if you decide not to have children ever in your life,still, we need to support each other, to understand each other. Because at the end of the day, we all need people.