Watching cartoons or anime has been a part of each generation’s childhood. We often have good memories of them and as young children, we idolized our favorite cartoon characters.
Though they may seem harmless, television networks always give us a fair warning about not letting our children watch them alone. Sadly, it is often overlooked and ignored by many.
But the recent series of accidents in China involving children ‘role-playing’ their favorite cartoon character should be a wake-up call to all parents out there.
Copied from a cartoon. A young boy tried to copy his favorite cartoon character which jumped from a window and used an umbrella as a parachute.
A seven-year old Chinese boy recently jumped from a fifth-floor
building which is as high as ten stories using an umbrella as a parachute. He did so after seeing his favorite cartoon-character make the same stunt.
Photo shows the apartment complex the boy fell from.
When his mother arrived at the scene, she could not help but break down when she saw him lying on the ground.
WATCH: Footage shows the building where the boy jumped from and his mother breaking down on the scene.
The young boy survived the ordeal, but not because of his ‘magic umbrella’ but because of a power line that caught him before he slammed to the ground. He still sustained serious injuries and had to undergo surgery in the Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Suzhou University to save his life. Luckily, his life is out of danger now.
Apparently, this kind of accident is becoming more common in China. Last month, a five-year old girl also pulled the same stunt and jumped off the 11th floor of a building. She landed on a platform on the fourth floor and was rushed to the intensive care unit.
This 5-year old girl did the same stunt last month.
Meanwhile, a girl who went looking for her mother but was locked up in their apartment climbed down the pipes, just like what she saw from the cartoons. She fell down five-stories high. In another incident, a ten-year old girl used a saw on her five-year old sister’s face to imitate what she saw on TV. The younger girl sustained cuts on her nose and face.
Those series of events are making the Chinese government reconsider the viewer censorship in their country.
For the rest of us, let this be a reminder that a child should be carefully guided when viewing anything on TV or even on the internet. We must explain to them the difference of reality and fantasy, and make sure the shows we allow them to see are harmless.
