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 possible child abuse after a viral video showed a 10-year-old girl struggling to carry bags of beer. The footage, which surfaced on October 6, 2026, shows the girl walking alongside a man who social media users speculated was her father. In one scene, the man snatches a bag from her and calls her a "useless person."

The New Territories North child abuse unit of Hong Kong police took over the investigation, while social workers and teachers at the girl's school, Lutheran Tsang Shing Siu Leun School, have also stepped in to provide assistance. When approached by passersby, the girl, speaking in Cantonese, said her father "doesn't let people help."

An initial police investigation on Tuesday evening found no "obvious signs" of child abuse, and the case was classified as a misunderstanding. However, the police have now reclassified the incident as a request for police assistance and taken it under the Child Abuse Investigation Unit. The school has urged the public not to spread or share the videos and to avoid harassing or following the girl and her family to prevent causing further trauma.