The grandmother of a one-year-old girl allowed two angry co-passengers to take her granddaughter to the restroom for disciplining as she was crying continuously during a flight. They even filmed the incident and posted it on social networking sites, sparking widespread outrage and discussion.

In the video, the little girl is seen squeezed inside a cramped restroom with the two female passengers, bawling as they repeatedly tell her she can't leave until she stops crying.

The young child was flying from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, to Shanghai with her grandparents on Aug 24. Juneyao Airlines confirmed that the grandmother had allowed the co-passengers to discipline her and that the kid's mother, now informed of the situation, understood the passengers' actions.

Liu Minghui, a lawyer with the Dao Rong Law Firm in Beijing, said this action amounts to a violation of personal freedom, and if the child falls ill as a result, it also infringes on her right to health.

However, if the guardian chooses not to pursue the matter, others have no ground to intervene. Liu also emphasized that guardians should never allow strangers to take their children away, as the risks are simply too unpredictable.

The incident is just an example of the many conflicts that have arisen in recent years over children making a lot of noise in public spaces. Social networking sites are filled with stories of passengers loudly berating parents for not controlling their wailing kids, while parents feel unfairly judged, arguing that young children are not always easy to manage.

Many parents who watched the video were outraged, feeling that society has become too harsh, even child-averse. They recalled how traveling with their kids, when young, was a nerve-wracking experience, always fearing that any noise might annoy others. A netizen shared online that she has been repeatedly instructed by train or flight attendants to "keep her child under control", leading her to feel discriminated against as a mother.

Others wrote how they've had enough dealing with unruly children and their negligent parents.

Qiao Xinsheng, a professor of law at the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, said overindulgence was making children indisciplined, and having strangers step in might be an effective approach, so long as done with the guardian's consent and presence.

In 2011, Germany, known for its strict noise control, amended its law to grant noise exemption rights to children under six, recognizing that their sounds are natural and harmless to the environment.

Germany's approach might offer us some valuable insights. Parents should teach their children from an early age to be mindful of others, while the public should offer more patience. If noise isn't intentional and parents are trying their best, a bit more tolerance is the way forward.

The author is a writer with China Daily.