IN an unusual yet heartwarming encounter, a pair of Malaysian parents decided to enlist the help of police officers to discipline their son — not for breaking the law, but for spending too much time glued to his mobile phone.
A viral video shared by Facebook page Penang Kini shows the couple pulling over by the roadside to approach two on-duty policemen, asking them to advise their child to cut down on his phone use.
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“Usually, it’s the police who tell people to pull over... but this time it’s the other way around — parents stopped the police to ask them to advise their kid who’s always on the phone.
“Props to our awesome police officer!” the post quipped.
In the clip, the father can be heard explaining that his son had once aspired to become a police officer but had since become “too obsessed with his phone.”
One of the officers then asked the child if he disliked studying, prompting the father to respond, “He’s actually very good at studying, just too obsessed with his phone.”
Startled by the unexpected intervention, the boy appeared tearful inside the car as one of the officers gently told him to apologise to his parents.
The video quickly gained traction online, with netizens applauding the parents’ creativity in seeking help and praising the officers for their kind yet firm approach.
While some found the incident amusing, others said it served as a reminder of how screen time continues to challenge families today.
One user called Harvinderjit Singh suggested: “We should have police visit schools more often — that would solve all the student discipline problems. Kudos to the PDRM!”
“The ‘abang’police officer was awesome too — he willingly cooperated and helped out,” Robert Junior Joseph commented.
“Kudos, congratulations, and many thanks to the parents who bravely stopped the police to ask for help advising their stubborn and hard-headed child who wouldn’t listen.
“Also, big thanks to the police officer for being willing to help them. I have great respect for these parents for taking action to deal with their child’s attitude — their actions can serve as an excellent example for other parents,” Cikgu Hasiah Binti Mahamad wrote.
