A Georgia teen was held down and physically restrained by her father and step mother on IG Live, MTO News has learned.
In the video, which has been seen now by more than 20 million people, a teen named Trinity can be seen sitting in a chair in a garage while her father and stepmother question her about an alleged theft and drug use.
The father repeatedly smacked Trinity during the questioning.
At one point, the 14 year old was able to run out of the garage. Her father ran after her, physically dragged her back into the garage. The father also threw the girl on the floor and sat on her chest.
Corporal punishment is legal in Georgia – but child experts no longer believe it’s an effective form of behavior modification.
The father later defended his actions, explaining he was disciplining his daughter for running away and lying. In that video, he didn’t seem apologetic for his actions and told people to get at him if they didn’t like what they saw.
MTO News spoke with members of the family who have confirmed that Trinity has been temporarily removed from her father’s custody, and staying with other family members.