Singapore – A seven-year-old boy seen playing on the window ledge of a high-rise has sparked concern online. Questions have been raised about how a child could be left without adult supervision when he could unknowingly get into danger.
A 26-second clip showing a boy in a red T-shirt playing dangerously on the air-conditioning ledge of a high-rise residential block has been circulating on WhatsApp.
According to a mothership.sg report on Sunday (Feb 21), the video was presumably captured by someone from an opposite block.
The boy had climbed out of a window from the master bedroom toilet using the toilet bowl as leverage, reported Shin Min Daily. Once on the ledge, the boy could be seen climbing onto the railings while playing with a water spray bottle.
At one point, the child climbed to the railing’s outer part and came close to the ledge’s edge while hanging on.
Shin Min noted the parents were not home when the incident took place on Feb 5 at around 7 pm. There were only two other children at home. The siblings, one in Secondary Three and the other in Primary Four, were studying in their rooms while the youngest played on his own, the report noted.
The boy’s father has explained to the child that falling from a certain height could be dangerous. He suspected that his son was curious after watching too many television programmes.
The father added he would restrict his son’s screen time because of the incident.
In response to the news, members from the online community wondered why the three kids were left unsupervised at home. “I cannot comprehend why there are no window grills built in to secure such windows to prevent the possibility of such incidents,” said Facebook user Evon Lim.
“Children are, after all, mischievous at times. And, in fact, shouldn’t the parents be educating the children on safety at all times, especially at home. Never leave it to chance,” the concerned individual added.
Others noted that it was the parents’ responsibility to ensure proper safety precautions in a family home to avoid accidents./TISG
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