LETHAL EDUCATION

In April, a three-month-old infant suffocated to death while sleeping face-down as her mother watched through a baby monitor, allegedly on the advice of a payfor-access parenting account known as “Cheese Wonton” on Wechat.

China’s early care market has been booming—there were 72,000 businesses registered to offer related services as of 2017, and the number of users on online early care platforms was expected to reach 204 million in 2019. However, the industry lacks qualification standards. “Cheese Wonton” categorizes its service as “medical care and health consulting,” but offers no credentials in this field, and its founder had previously declared that all her knowledge was self-taught.

The Shanghai company has stopped operating, and is being investigated for exceeding its “business scope.” Its founder maintains she cautioned followers about the risks of this sleeping technique, and public opinion remains divided on whether responsibility lies with the platform or parents who take advice without due diligence.