A TikToker Filmed A Child Left Alone In A Car & It Sparked A Debate Online

What would you do if you saw a small child left alone in a car?

A TikToker found himself in that very situation outside a convenience store, and posted a video showing his wait until the child's mom came back to her car.

TikToker @freddyboi90 posted a video of himself sitting in his vehicle as he points the camera toward the front door of a convenience store and then to the vehicle next to his where a child has clearly been left alone.

"What're you possibly getting to leave a child in the car like this? I can't believe this sh*t," he says in the video.

With more than 4.3 million views, TikTokers are outraged by the situation and many are saying he should've called the police.

"Call the cops, those ppl need a talking to 😱," one comment reads.

"I would've gone in there asking Who da hell left their baby in the car...!!??" another person says.

"They say treat your kids like they're a million dollars. nobody would leave a million dollars in their car and walk away! DO BETTER!" another viewer adds.

Others are thanking the video creator for watching over the child.

"Thank you for staying with that baby ❤️," one person wrote.

"It takes a village. You’re baby sitting… thanks!" another viewer said.

If you're wondering how long the child was left alone, @freddyboi90 said he counted eight minutes before the adult came back.

In a follow-up video, he captures who we can assume is the child's mother coming back to the vehicle.

"Stupid b*itch. She left him in the car y'all," he says in the video.

While some viewers expressed distaste for the parent's decision, others are also pointing the finger at @freddyboi90 for not saying anything.

"But yet u said nothing???" one person wrote.

"Maybe saying something would prevent her from doing it again because folks are watching," a TikToker replied.

Some users, meanwhile, didn't see a problem with the situation.

"If this is a gas station, her doors are locked, safe area, she was just running in, store wasn’t busy! I DO IT ALL THE TIME— 4 kids," a comment reads.

"Whats crazy is we used to get left in the car all the time as kids😂. This generation is too dang soft. 😂," another person posted.

"Lol most of y'all didn't grow up in the late 80s-90s and it shows. idk how many times I was left in the car," another viewer noted.

Laws around leaving a child in the car alone depend on where you live.

According to kidsandcars.org, only 20 states in the U.S. have laws that make it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle, including California, Texas, and Florida.

The TikTok creator's profile shows he lives in Iowa, where there is currently no law that specifically addresses children left in vehicles, according to weareiowa.com. A court can still apply general abuse and neglect laws.

However, Iowa does have a law in its legislation that prohibits child endangerment, which is listed as someone who "knowingly acts in a manner that creates a substantial risk to a child or minor’s physical, mental or emotional health or safety."