An incident in which two women locked a crying toddler in an airplane toilet has sparked an online debate in China about how to treat children in public spaces.

The incident went viral on the Chinese internet after one of the two women, Gou Tingting, posted a video of herself carrying the girl into the cabin.

In her post, she presented herself as someone who wanted to help the others on board, but quickly faced backlash.

The airline later stated that the girl’s grandmother had given the two women permission to “educate” her.

The incident occurred on August 24 on board a Juneyao Airlines flight from the southwestern city of Guiyang to Shanghai.

The toddler, who was traveling with his grandmother, started crying during the flight.

Two days after the incident, the airline said in a statement that the girl’s grandmother, who was traveling with her, had agreed to have two women take the girl to the toilet.

A video posted by Ms Gou on Chinese social media allegedly showed the other woman telling the girl that she could not leave the bathroom unless she stopped crying.

According to local media reports, the child was one year old, but the airline did not provide any further details.

Shortly after she posted the video, there were immediate strong reactions. Many accused Ms. Gou of a lack of empathy and of “bullying” the child.

Responding to the criticism, Ms Gou said she would “rather take action than just watch”.

“I just wanted to calm the child down and let everyone rest,” she wrote on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok.

She also explained that some passengers “went to the back to escape the noise” while others stuffed tissues in their ears.

Ms Gou’s account has now been set to private.

“Children can’t control their emotions at the age of one or two. What’s wrong with crying? Didn’t you cry when you were little?” wrote one user on Weibo.

Another expressed concern about the psychological impact on the girl, saying: “We should think about how public spaces can better accommodate and house young children.”

However, there were also some who defended the women and said their actions were justified because the girl’s grandmother had given her consent.

“Honestly, some kids can’t do without some level of education,” wrote one Weibo user.

There is a growing debate about how to deal with what China calls “bear children” – spoiled young children who cause trouble in public, such as screaming or damaging public property.

The use of the word “bear” in this context suggests that some people in China believe that some children can behave wildly.

Some public trains now have separate compartments for children.

In other parts of the world, views on this differ. South Korea, for example, has set up hundreds of child-free zones in restaurants, museums and theaters.

But lawmakers urged the government to abolish these zones, arguing that it was necessary to create a more child-accepting society – especially as the country struggles with a low birth rate.

Global airlines, including Turkish-Dutch carrier Corendon Airlines and Singapore-based carrier Scoot, offer their passengers the option of sitting in a child-free zone for an additional charge.