Father in China Who Made Toys Like Tetris and Dragons
TikTok Account Followers Over 3 Million
As the issue of smartphone addiction among children and adolescents becomes a serious problem worldwide, a story has emerged from China about a father who made over 300 toys himself to prevent his daughter from becoming addicted to her smartphone.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and others on the 19th, Zheng Suai (35), who lives in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China, has installed toys such as Tetris and train tracks throughout his home over the past six years for his daughter.
Zheng said, "To prevent my daughter from using smartphones or tablets, I needed another medium to replace them, and I thought toys were perfect for a 3-4-year-old child." His daughter, nicknamed 'Nini,' was spending a lot of time watching her smartphone, so he decided to make toys himself.
Zheng has made about 300 toys over six years for his daughter, including a train track built along the ceiling of the house. There was also a huge Tetris-shaped toy made of colorful corrugated cardboard installed on the door.
Inspired by this year being the 'Year of the Dragon,' Zheng also made a giant pink dragon measuring 4 meters long. It was crafted using a kitchen hood exhaust pipe, with newspaper stuffed inside the pipe to fix the body and clay used to make the dragon's horns, involving meticulous handiwork. Upon seeing the dragon, his daughter reportedly exclaimed, "This dragon is taller than me!"
Zheng introduces how to make toys through his TikTok account, which has nearly 3 million followers. Local netizens commented, "There should be more parents like this," and "Even as an adult, I want a dragon. It looks so fun, and I want to play too." One netizen humorously commented, "Please delete the video. What if my child asks me to make toys like this?"
Meanwhile, countries around the world are rushing to enact age restriction laws for social media. China has also introduced strict regulations on smartphone use for minors. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) proposed a bill last August to regulate smartphone usage time for children under 18. According to this bill, 16- and 17-year-olds can use smartphones for only 2 hours a day. For children aged 8 to 15, the limit is 1 hour, and for those under 8, it is restricted to 40 minutes. Foreign media reported that these measures by the Chinese government were put in place to prevent minors from becoming addicted to smartphones.
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