In US 3-year-old boy beaten to death for stealing cupcake
New York: Two sisters allegedly beat a three-year-old boy to death with a baseball bat for stealing a cupcake in the US city of Atlanta, police said.
According to police Kejuan Mason had sneaked the cupcake from the kitchen while at home with Glenndria and Lashirley Morris. Lashirley then beat the child with a baseball bat while her sister Glenndria, his legal guardian, slapped him with her hand.
The child died of blunt force trauma to his head and his torso, a hospital official said.
However, the Morris sisters had given conflicting accounts of what happened on October 31, 2017, initially claiming he had choked on the cupcake.
The sisters were charged with two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault and two counts of cruelty in the first-degree. They face life in prison without parole if found guilty.
According to reports, the child's mother had lost custody of her son when she lost her home, but she was attempting to get him back.
She had even asked a judge to remove Mason from Glenndria's care when she noticed he had scratches and bruises, but her request was denied three days before the child died, a newspaper report said.
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Bengaluru: Karnataka mulls ban social media for children below 16, says Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is considering a ban on the use of social media for children below the age of 16, taking inspiration from steps taken by countries such as Australia and Finland, The New Indian Express reported.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and IT-BT, Priyank Kharge, informed the Assembly on Friday that the issue is under discussion. Responding to senior BJP leader and MLA S Suresh Kumar, who expressed concern over the abuse of social media, Kharge admitted that it is a serious issue.
Finland has taken action, the UK is considering similar steps, and Australia imposed a ban two months ago. “We too in the state have launched a digital detoxification programme for responsible use of AI and social media. The IT-BT department, in collaboration with Meta, has been running it by involving over three lakh children and one lakh teachers,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
Kharge said that in March 2025, the government launched the ‘Beyond Screens’ programme to help people dealing with digital addiction. The initiative was announced during the GAFX 2025 summit, along with the opening of a ‘Beyond Screens’ digital detox centre and the launch of an official website.
The detox centre serves as a dedicated hub for resources, counselling and intervention programmes for healthier digital habits.
During the Assembly session, Suresh Kumar also referred to the Economic Survey 2025-26, which was presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The survey recommended that governments consider age-based restrictions on social media use for children.
