Chinese mother live-streams son doing homework on internet so viewers can tell her if he slacks off

A mother in China has begun live-streaming her son’s homework sessions on the internet so that viewers can tell her if he slacks off.

The mother, who was only identified by her surname Zhang, said the results had been “surprising” as her nine-year-old son had finished his studies two to three times faster under the gaze of hundreds of strangers, the South China Morning Post reported.

Ms Zhang, from Sichuan province in south-west China, said that on one day alone, more than 900 people had watched him doing his schoolwork on her Douyin account, spurring him to finish a week’s work in one session.

As Douyin does not allow children on its platform, only the boy’s hands and work are visible to the audience.

Ms Zhang said that as well as pushing her son to stop fidgeting and concentrate on his studies, her system also had the advantage of freeing up her time to tackle the housework and look after her other child, aged three.

Many parents praised her “creative” method, expressing their own frustration at having to supervise their children while doing homework.

In China, students are strained by homework despite a government policy known as “double reduction”, which was introduced in 2021 to place limitations on the volume and difficulty of after-school study.

According to Chinese media, it is common for primary school students to still be doing their homework beyond 9pm.

“I tried this too today. The homework that normally takes three hours, my child finished in 30 minutes…I don’t need to supervise him any more during holidays,” said one parent.

But others criticised the idea as having a sinister edge.

‘It is the age to have fun’

“It is scary that the child is living under surveillance from such a young age,” said a commentator.

“It is the age to go play and have fun, instead the child is being monitored to do homework,” added another.

In recent years, more structured online supervisors and study rooms have thrived in China, where school children and university students are under increasing pressure to excel academically.

On Taobao, an e-commerce platform, Juanwu Studio, a shop specialising in virtual study supervision services, has more than 1,600 followers and hundreds of monthly orders, the South China Morning Post reported.

Students can choose between a dedicated one-on-one service or a virtual group, where people can keep each other company as they study together, and which warns them if their concentration dips.

The system is reportedly popular among university students preparing for postgraduate exams and certificates to make themselves more competitive in the job market.

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