Mee Toh School alumnus weighs in on closure of canteen stall following complaint: 'Parenting is so soft nowadays'
An alumnus of the primary school where a canteen stall is set to shutter, following a complaint about a viral video in which stall owner Rayner Tan corrected a boy for his behaviour while ordering food, has defended Mr Tan.
Mee Toh School alumnus @rryanang said on TikTok video that Mr Tan's actions toward the child were "completely valid", declaring that "parenting is so soft nowadays".
"I genuinely believe that some children deserve to know how it feels like to get one tight slap across the face," he said, adding that he felt the stall owner was not at fault for posting the video on his @veg.eng account.
"I don't believe righteousness was displayed in this scenario, and I don't believe that it's fair for veg.eng's video to be forced to be taken down," he added.
Mr Tan said in an Instagram video on Nov 18 that he would not be renewing his lease after a "complaint" was made to Mee Toh School, adding that "dealing with school, authorities, and parents" had been difficult.
The original viral video has also been taken down.
Mee Toh School told Stomp that Mr Tan made the decision to shutter the stall, and the school did not tell him to do so.
@FeliciaSeet also weighed in with a Facebook post that had received over 1,100 reactions at press time.
"Shouldn't we feel grateful that they learn now than be bashed by society?" she asked, noting that society plays an important role in teaching children how to interact with others.
Ms Seet also noted that school canteen vendors face low profit margins and complaints from parents, making it difficult for them to survive.
With more schools adopting the central kitchen model, where children collect pre-ordered meals from automated dispensers, she argued that the education system "is just not allowing children to be dynamic".
In the comments, netizens agreed that overly protecting children makes them "dependent" and "sheltered", while some said that posting a video of the child was uncalled for.
Filming children unacceptable: Netizens
Other netizens pointed to systemic issues that have surfaced.
LinkedIn user @Ives Tay raised concerns about gaps in the education system, while noting that filming a minor and posting it online without consent crossed a line.
In his post, he cited issues like the lack of national rules on filming students, calling for clearer regulations for school staff members.
Mr Tay added that parents lodge complaints not out of entitlement, but because "the system provides no upfront assurance".
However, he stressed that livelihoods should not depend on what goes viral. "A stall shouldn't close because an algorithm amplified a misjudgement," he said.
In the comments, some netizens agreed that it was unacceptable to publicly "name and shame" others, while others noted that Mr Tan's video did not show the children's faces.
