A Shanghai court has ordered a father to pay 4,000 yuan ($590) in damages and legal fees after urging other parents in a group chat to ostracize his son’s classmate, domestic media reported last week.

According to a ruling by the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court, the father was found to have infringed on the classmate’s right to reputation under China’s Civil Code. He was ordered to pay 2,000 yuan in emotional damages and 2,000 yuan in legal fees, as well as issue an apology to the boy.

A Beijing court handled a similar case in 2022, ordering two parents to apologize to a student after defaming them in a parent group on messaging app WeChat, widely used in China as a key channel for teachers and parents to exchange information and discuss student issues. However, they were not ordered to provide financial compensation.

The Shanghai dispute began after the father’s son, surnamed Zhang, was hit on the head with a tree branch by his middle school classmate, surnamed Zhao. After reviewing surveillance footage, teachers concluded that Zhao had not acted intentionally, domestic media reported.

Zhang’s father then attacked Zhao in a WeChat group of more than 80 parents. “This child has psychological problems,” he wrote in the group. “My son suffered a concussion after this student hit him with a stick.” He also claimed that the school was “well aware of this child’s mental health problems” and called on other parents to collectively demand that the school expel Zhao.

Zhao was subsequently isolated at school by his classmates and was unable to continue attending classes as normal. The boy later sued Zhang for infringing on his right to reputation.

Han Yini, the judge presiding over the case, told domestic media that the chat records from the parent group showed that Zhang’s remarks were “clearly derogatory and insulting” and “lacked sufficient factual basis.” The comments caused “panic” among other parents, some of whom demanded that Zhao’s parents provide a psychiatric assessment report of their son before he returned to school.

“This seriously damaged Zhao’s social reputation and placed significant stress on his studies, daily life, and friendships,” Han said.

“Student bullying includes not only physical conflict but also malicious exclusion and isolation through verbal or online means, which can harm minors both physically and psychologically,” said Zhang Jiawei, a judge specializing in juvenile and family cases at the court. He also called on schools to strengthen oversight and mediation.

School bullying has received growing attention in China in recent years. The revised Law on the Protection of Minors, which took effect in 2021, requires schools to establish mechanisms to prevent and address student bullying. In 2024, Chinese authorities launched a nationwide campaign targeting bullying and violence in schools.

Zhang added that when children have conflicts with others at school, parents should work with teachers to resolve them and, when necessary, seek help from educational authorities or judicial bodies.

“Every parent should understand that there are boundaries to what they can say and that infringement carries consequences. Respecting others is a prerequisite for protecting your own child,” Zhang said.

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: Visuals from Kate3155/Getty Creative/VCG, reedited by Sixth Tone)