3-Year-Old Grandson Drowned... Chinese Grandfather Only Stared at Smartphone

Grandfather Distracted by Smartphone
Fails to See 3-Year-Old Grandson Fall into River... Drowns

An accident occurred in China where a 3-year-old grandson drowned while his grandfather was engrossed in his mobile phone.
[Photo by Daily Star]

A tragic accident occurred in China where a 3-year-old grandson drowned while his grandfather was engrossed in his smartphone.

On the 2nd, foreign media such as TVBS and Daily Star reported, "On the 28th of last month, a 3-year-old child drowned in a river in Fujian Province, China."

CCTV footage released on the day of the child's death captured a scene where the 3-year-old grandson, who was playing in the yard, told his grandfather to go wash toys by the nearby river.

However, the grandfather seemed not to hear the child’s words as he was absorbed in watching Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on his smartphone. The child kept begging to go together, but the grandfather continued to stare at his smartphone without responding. Even while walking toward the riverbank, the child turned around several times calling for his grandfather, but there was no reaction. Eventually, the child went alone to the riverbank to wash the toys and drowned.

At the time, the child's mother was at work, and the grandmother was away at the hospital for a checkup, leaving the house unattended. The child's mother said, "My father-in-law said he did not hear the grandson calling," expressing her devastation.

Locally, criticism has arisen following the release of the CCTV footage. Netizens expressed anger with comments such as, "How could you not look at the child even once?", "Are you really the grandfather?", "If you had looked back even once, this wouldn't have happened," "You must never take your eyes off a child even for a second," "I can't even imagine the parents' feelings," "The way the child looks back is so heartbreaking I can't watch," and "All because of a smartphone."