HE could not escape from his attackers because the room was locked. They had tied a rope around his neck.

    Afraid and in tears, the 8-year-old pleaded with the four teenage boys, who showed no mercy and began assaulting him.

    A video of the vicious attack went viral after it was posted online in late June, triggering concerns over youth violence and bullying in China.

    The clip, which lasts just over two minutes, shows the bigger boys slapping and kicking their victim and stepping on his head and ankle as he groans. They also burned him with cigarettes.

    “I won’t dare do it anymore,” cried the boy at one point, before being hit with a stick.

    The incident, which took place last month in coastal Zhejiang Province, is believed to have been a revenge attack, according to media reports. The victim’s father had rebuked the older boys for involving his young son in their shoplifting attempt.

    Police found the culprits and made them apologize to the boy and his family. It is said that the families of the four teens offered 90,000 yuan (US$14,200) in compensation.

    Youth violence and bullying in schools, long a problem in China, appear to be worsening, according to the number of videos of such incidents posted online. Chinese media have reported on at least 20 cases of youth violence this year, according to The Straits Times.

    A video that went viral in mid-June shows five young girls in Yongxin County, central Jiangxi Province, slapping and kicking a kneeling teenage girl. They also hit her head repeatedly with slippers and water bottles.

    In May, two 17-year-old girls, one of them pregnant, were captured on video slapping and kicking a 16-year-old girl.

    These incidents worry parents, especially those with young children, like Beijing resident Luo Xiaoping, 38.

    Luo said she checks up on her 10-year-old daughter more often, ever since she was bullied at school. Two years ago, a boy in her daughter’s class jabbed her head with a pencil, leaving two wounds that Luo discovered the next day because the child was too scared and traumatized to talk.

    “I’m concerned because society these days is quite messy and no one knows what might happen in school. Many kids are spoiled by their parents and act recklessly if things don’t go their way,” Luo told The Sunday Times.

    A study by the China Youth and Children Research Center conducted in 12 provinces found that crimes committed by 14-year-olds had jumped from 12.3 percent in 2001 to 20.1 percent last year.

    Child protection expert Tong Xiaojun of the China Youth University for Political Sciences said the issue of youth violence is gaining more public attention because of the increasing use of smartphones and social media among the younger generation.

    “It shows that young people may not realize their actions violate the law. Also, they could be trying to show off by posting the videos online,” Tong told The Sunday Times.

    The spate of incidents this year has led to soul-searching among many people over the adequacy of moral education for China’s youth, and also intensified a public debate among child protection experts on how to curb this worrying phenomenon.

    Observers cite a lack of proper guidance from teachers and family, the influence of films and television shows and feelings of being marginalized as key factors behind rising teen violence.

    Lenient punishment is also a reason, according to Zhang Kaixuan, an expert from the Beijing Youth Legal and Psychological Consultation Service Center, the Global Times quoted last Friday.

    Under the 1991 Child Protection Law, people below the age of 14 will not face criminal prosecution while those between 14 and 16 are usually spared criminal punishment except in cases of serious crimes such as murder, rape and arson.

    Those who commit lesser offenses may be taken into custody for rehabilitation — such as a juvenile reformatory or work-study school.

    “Teenagers pay a small price for their violent acts under current regulations, and the light punishments they receive may encourage further violent behavior,” said Zhang.

    While many feel there may be a need for stiffer punishments, Tong believes a better long-term remedy is to instate a system of youth-oriented public service, which is now lacking in China.

    Zhou Jingjie, who runs a female dormitory for senior high school students in Inner Mongolia, also believes that tougher punishments might not solve the problem.

    “Disputes between students are inevitable, and harsh punishments could deepen the rift. It is better to look for warning signs and educate children on ways to resolve disputes,” she said. (SD-Agencies)