We know that social media is an incredibly powerful tool that puts you in touch with the rest of the world with the click of a button – this is why it needs to be monitored and used responsibly.
Thankfully, eagle-eyed Facebook users reacted swiftly this week, when a man from Algeria shared disturbing content documenting cruelty to a small child.
The content, which we have chosen not to share, shows the man ‘dangling’ the child out of the window of a 15th floor apartment window. While the disturbing incident was first shared in video form, photos circulating online show a street full of cars, 150 feet beneath them.
The caption is said to have read: “1,000 likes, or I will drop him.” While some reports suggest that the man is the child’s father, local media outlet Al Arabiya claims that he is the child’s cousin.
As you can imagine, the footage and images left Facebook users incredibly upset. He was subsequently reported, with many people calling for him to be charged with child abuse.
Authorities were notified, and the man was brought before a court in Algiers yesterday, where he was sentenced to two years in prison for his actions.
Judges were unmoved by the man’s claims that photos taken from the original video had Photoshopped out protective railings.
As horrific as this story is, we can take a little comfort from the fact that responsible Facebook users took the appropriate action, rather than just turning off their computers and going back to their lives.
The incident calls to mind Michael Jackson’s notorious gaffe with his youngest son, Blanket, in 2002.
The pop legend caused uproar when he dangled the tot over the balcony of his hotel room to awaiting fans and paparazzi. While his head was covered with a blanket at the time, the child appeared visibly distressed as he kicked his legs and waved his hands.
Jackson was hit with a wave of criticism in the aftermath of the incident, and it later emerged that he ‘locked himself in his room for days’ afterwards.
Let’s hope that Facebook cracks down on similar incidents to this latest shocking one, and that the baby at the centre of the story is getting the care he needs.
