Young boy forced to stand on the side of the road with a ‘honk if you hate bullies’ sign by parents

Young boy is forced to stand on the side of the road with a ‘honk if you hate bullies’ sign as punishment from his parents – sparking outcry from critics who say ‘mean’ mom and dad are bullies, too

  • TikTok user Gavin Klein filmed a video of a young boy standing on the side of a busy road in southwestern Florida
  • He is holding that reads ‘I am a bully. Honk if you hate bullies’
  • His parents can be seen sitting a few feet away, supervising
  • Gavin called it ‘mean’ and ‘foul,’ while some commenters called the parents bullies and said they can see where the kid gets it
  • Other commenters approve of the parents’ tactic and said embarrassment will teach the child a lesson 


A viral video of a young boy getting punished for being a bully has ignited debate on TikTok.  

On Saturday, TikTok user Gavin Klein (@usert0c8co0flo) uploaded a video he captured in southwestern Florida showing a young boy standing on the side of a busy road with a large sign that reads ‘I am a bully. Honk if you hate bullies.’

His parents can be seen supervising nearby.

While some commenters think the mom and dad are teaching the boy a great lesson, others say it’s ‘mean’ and ‘foul’ — and makes the parents into bullies themselves.

TikTok user Gavin Klein filmed a video of a young boy standing on the side of a busy road in southwestern Florida

He is seen holding up a big neon that reads 'I am a bully. Honk if you hate bullies'

He is seen holding up a big neon that reads ‘I am a bully. Honk if you hate bullies’

Several feet away, a man and woman - his parents - can be seen sitting in outdoor lounge chairs. Both look unbothered

Several feet away, a man and woman – his parents – can be seen sitting in outdoor lounge chairs. Both look unbothered 

The youngster appears to be paying a penalty after getting caught bullying another child.

In the video, he is seen standing in a grassy area, holding up a neon sign affixed to a piece of wood.

The sign’s message is in clear and in all caps and plainly visible to cars on the road.

The boy certainly seems unhappy with the punishment, and appears to be using the sign to cover part of his face. 

Several feet away, a man and woman can be seen sitting in outdoor lounge chairs. Both look unbothered, the woman sitting with her legs crossed and the man sitting with a dog resting at his feet.

Gavin, who recored the video, can be heard discussing it with his friend from his car, with both voicing disapproval.

Gavin called it 'mean' and 'foul,' while some commenters called the parents bullies and said they can see where the kid gets it

Gavin called it ‘mean’ and ‘foul,’ while some commenters called the parents bullies and said they can see where the kid gets it

‘That’s so mean! That’s so foul,’ he says. 

‘I wanna yell at the parents,’ adds the friend.

The video has racked up over 3.7 views, and commenters have also weighed in on the punishment — and seem to be split on whether it’s too harsh or appropriate.

‘Humiliating children is traumatic,’ wrote one. ‘Especially these, they aren’t fully developed. Kids who act out tend to have something wrong at home,’ wrote one.

‘Well we see where he gets it from,’ said another.

‘Negative reinforcement is the least effective way of raising kids,’ wrote a third. ‘Punishment makes kids just not wanna get caught, not stop doing it.’ 

‘The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Kids act out when they are lacking guidance, attention, and love in the household,’ wrote a fourth.

Other commenters approve of the parents' tactic and said embarrassment will teach the child a lesson

Other commenters approve of the parents’ tactic and said embarrassment will teach the child a lesson

But many of the commenters are praising the parents, calling the move ‘a ‘great way to handle’ bullying.

‘If you disagree with this as a form of punishment, you’re soft lmao. Kid needs to learn his lesson,’ wrote one. 

‘That’s parenting,’ wrote another. ‘Discipline, embarrassment to make them never do it again. 

‘You think the kid that got bullied isn’t embarrassed every day at school? He got a taste of his own medicine,’ wrote one more. 

‘That’s good parenting right there,’ commented yet another with clapping emojis.