A mother in Zhuhai unknowingly caused an uproar after she was photographed using iron chains to tether her 9 year-old son, China News reported on October 6.

Photos of the incident were immediately uploaded to the Internet by a Weibo user who claimed to be an eyewitness. The post quickly became a hot topic online, and prompted a police investigation. The witness said blood could be seen around the boy’s neck.

By the end of the day, Gongbei Port Police found the mother in question. The police said the woman, a single mother named Huang, alleged that her son had run away from home several times. The latest incident happened on October 5. After finding her son, she decided to chain him up to prevent him from running away again.

Although Huang has attracted a lot of criticism online for her parenting, some have offered sympathy. As one commenter pointed out, the only thing besides a metal chain that could possibly prevent today’s kids from running away from home is a computer.

One user wrote, “Kids who don’t listen to parents are really a headache. My nephew has run away from home so many times. It has taken a huge toll on our family. Now we’ve bought him a computer, and that seems to have helped. But not long ago, the computer broke down, and he started running away from home again. Sigh, perhaps giving him what he likes is the only solution”.

Photos: Weibo