Hong Kong police open child abuse probe after video of 10-year-old carrying beer goes viral

Hong Kong police have reportedly launched an investigation into whether a 10-year-old girl filmed carrying bags of beer could be the victim of child abuse, after video of her struggling with the load went viral online. Screenshots of the videos showing the girl made to hold bags of beer, posted on October 6, 2026. Photo: Screenshot via Facebook. The police force’s New Territories North child abuse unit has reportedly taken over the investigation, while social workers and teachers at the girl’s school have also stepped in. Their response comes after a video of the girl holding two plastic bags filled with cans of beer near Fu Tai Estate in Tuen Mun was shared in a Facebook group and then widely circulated on the social media platform Tuesday. She also appeared to be carrying a damaged backpack. When approached by passersby asking if she needed help, she said in Cantonese: “My dad doesn’t let people help.” The clips show her struggling with the bags as she walks alongside a man whom social media users speculated was her father. At one point, the video shows the man snatching one of the bags from the girl, calling her a “useless person.” ‘Exercising’ On an RTHK programme, Tuen Mun district councillor Leo Chan said that police officers closed an initial investigation on Tuesday evening after finding no “obvious signs” of child abuse. The police received a report at around 10pm on Tuesday. The preliminary investigation found that the girl was “exercising” and picked up the beer of her own accord, according to local media outlets citing police sources. Hong Kong Police Force. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. HK01 reported on Wednesday afternoon that the incident had been reclassified as a request for police assistance and taken over by the Child Abuse Investigation Unit of the New Territories North crime unit, after it was first deemed a misunderstanding. Lutheran Tsang Shing Siu Leun School said in a Facebook statement that social workers and teachers had intervened to provide counselling and support to the student and her family, adding that the school had also launched an investigation into the incident. The school also urged the public not to forward or share the videos and refrain from harassing or following the student and her family, “to avoid causing secondary trauma and fear.” “We will remain fully committed to monitoring and following up on the situation swiftly and continuously, providing the most appropriate support to the family,” the statement read. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law. Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law. More by James Lee