Social media users have been left horrified after seeing a viral video of a young child receiving slimming tea as a Christmas present.
The video in question was originally posted to TikTok and showed a young girl called Jaleel, who is part of the Edwards family known for their lifestyle content on the platform, opening up a bunch of gifts from fans alongside her siblings while her parents recorded the moment.
After getting some assistance with ripping open one particular package, the excited child pulls out a box with the words "Slim Tea" written clearly at the top, as some type of cruel joke hinting at her to lose some weight.
First of all, that is a seven-year-old child you're telling to lose weight and secondly, was the humiliation behind the so-called "prank" worth it?
Clearly, the youngster didn't immediately understand the meaning behind the product, but from the expressions on the faces of her siblings, they got it.
Have a look at the video below:"Slim tea, really?" they say, grabbing the box from their little sister's hands.
The young boy and girl then look towards their parents for them to say something helpful, but strangely enough, they dismiss the impact of such a horrible gift and instead urge their daughter to be grateful.
"Thank you," the person behind the camera yells, while the realization finally settles for Jaleel.
"Wait, I know what this is," she tells her parents.
"What is it?" they ask.
"It's something that I needed," she responds back.
While the controversial video was removed from TikTok, it was later reposted to Twitter (better known now as X) where it elicited a strong reaction from horrified social media users.
It was first reported by TMZ that the gift was from her own parents, though it was later confirmed by the outlet, as well as Jaleel's family, that this was not the case, and it was sent as part of fan mail for the family.
Some fans criticized the family for posting the video in the first place, however.
"That video of that baby opening a 'gift' of slim tea has really p**sed me off. Putting her trauma on display like that is just inhumane. Can’t imagine how alone and misunderstood she must feel. For most of the ridicule to be from her own family is just...no words smh," wrote one user.
"Not RTing that video of that baby being given 'slim tea' for Christmas. I’m so tired of the way folk treat black children. They deserve so much more," added another.
A third also pointed this out: "It is extremely evil for someone to have sent that little girl on TikTok some slim tea. It’s also quite sinister that her guardians are allowing so much access to the kids that they’re unboxing 'gifts' from viewers that haven’t been screened by trusted adults."
"This is so f***** up like the other little girl got an iphone and this little girl got slim tea for a fatphobic joke to embarrass her on the internet... this is why people just stop talking to their family when they turn 18," this user also stated.
According to The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), slimming tea has not been classed as an effective method of weight loss. Some ingredients, such as caffeine and senna, are recognized by the FDA for different reasons, though caffeine is recognized as a stimulant with no major effect on weight loss.
Not only that, but the FDA has also analyzed a bunch of slim teas and found hidden drug-based ingredients in them.
