A shocking footage of a dad giving his toddler a cigarette has now gone viral, triggering a surge of outrage among internet users.
In the video, a shirtless man repeatedly passes a cigarette back and forth to the toddler, while a woman can be heard laughing in the background.
The footage is just over two minutes long and was reportedly filmed in Russia, according to the Daily Mail.
The toddler, who seems to be 1 or 2 years old, is seen placing the cigarette on his lips and making several attempts to smoke as his father continues to encourage him. The young boy, having no idea what it all really is, is seen laughing and clapping his hands, when he is given the cigarette repeatedly.
After a while, when the father playfully refuses to pass it, the child cries and points to a fresh packet of cigarettes. And quite shockingly, the father takes out a new cigarette and lights it for him, while the child rests it on his lips.
The video, which first appeared on LiveLeak on Wednesday and has several copies on YouTube, has outraged several people.
One user, who goes by the name 'kingbooter', wrote: "This is child abuse, no two ways about it. This needs to be sent to the appropriate authorities."
Another user, 'Duffy', stated: "What a f****** moron, I bet it's the mother laughing behind the camera. You are without doubt the most idiotic t**** I have ever watched and I hope the appropriate agencies are racing to your address as I write this comment."
Another YouTube user with the profile name 'Sheenza O' remarked: "He's f****** up his baby's lungs, the baby doesn't know any better...IDIOT!"
(Image credit: screen grab from YouTube video) (Ed: VP)
