A three-year-old toddler in China choked to death on tapioca bubbles in his milk tea. The tragic incident occurred on October 19 at a shopping mall in China's Zhejiang province, where a toddler collapsed while playing on a trampoline shortly after drinking bubble tea.
Eyewitnesses reported that the child suddenly fell unconscious and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital by his parents. Despite more than an hour of emergency medical efforts, doctors were unable to save him.
As reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), investigations revealed that the cause of death was suffocation caused by the tapioca pearls in the drink. The pearls, measuring about 10 millimeters in diameter, were too large for the child's airway and became lodged, blocking his breathing. Their sticky texture also rendered the mother's attempts at performing the Heimlich maneuver ineffective.
The child's father, identified as Li, later shared security footage from the playground showing the moment the boy's mother handed him the bubble tea and he took a sip. In his post, Li urged the milk tea shop and the shopping mall to take responsibility for the incident.
In response, the bubble tea shop expressed condolences to the grieving family, noting that its online ordering platform already included a warning advising that children and elderly people should consume the drink only under supervision.
The tragedy has ignited widespread debate on Chinese social media about parental responsibility and child safety. Many users questioned the parents' decision to allow their toddler to drink bubble tea and play at the same time.
"The parents were the ones who bought the drink and let their child play while consuming it," one person commented. Another wrote, "It's common sense that small children shouldn't eat tapioca pearls, jelly, or sticky rice — and they should never eat or drink while playing."
