In today’s digital age, kids using devices and accessing the Internet is unavoidable. But with the convenience of technology come serious risks, especially when it comes to managing money. Recently, a heartbreaking story from China shook the online community. A father’s three years of hard-earned savings ended up as a “gift” to a beautiful female streamer, all because of his son’s innocent actions.
The father is an ordinary worker with a modest income. For three years, he worked tirelessly, taking on tough jobs and cutting personal expenses to save every penny for his son’s education. The savings represent his sweat, sacrifices, and silent dedication. Yet, his 16-year-old son from Henan province spent all those savings donating to a popular female streamer. This incident caught massive public attention and quickly became one of the top trending topics on Weibo.
From December 2024 to August 2025, the boy repeatedly topped up and spent money on the video platform. Wanting to show generosity to his idol, he naively made numerous money transfers as “gifts” (donations) to the female streamer. The total wasn’t small, it was over 30,000 yuan (about 110 million VND), the entire family’s savings from three years. The boy said, “I felt enchanted, the streamer made me feel relaxed. Especially after donating, my mood was really good.” The father was shocked to find out his son had wasted all the money and was left in tears.
A lawyer explained that if donations happen before the donor turns 16, parents can request refunds on behalf of their child. But if donations occur after the donor turns 16, chances of getting money back are very slim. In this case, most of the boy’s donations happened before June this year, when he was still under 16.
If refunds aren’t possible, compensation equal to the value may be required. If both parties share fault (for example, parents not managing payment accounts well or the platform lacking strict checks), responsibility for compensation will be divided accordingly. If the platform has serious management flaws and parents provide solid proof, courts usually order over 70% of the money returned. But if parents clearly failed to supervise their child, the refund rate might drop below 50%.
After the story went public, many online users expressed deep sympathy for the father. Many also called on the platform and the female streamer to return the money. Recovering funds is often difficult and requires families to provide full proof that the transactions were made by a minor. The process is complicated and time-consuming, but it remains the only hope for the father to salvage three years of hard work.
Source: 163.com
