# Viral Mom Fails Video Demonstrates How Not To Use a Leash for your Child's Safety By Susan Read | Published 2009-08-04 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mom-fail-how-not-to-use-a-leash-for-your-childs-safety References: [techeblog](http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/woman-drags-child-through-verizon-store) We’ve always been a little suspicious of [child leashes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cocoleash), but we admit they have their uses, like keeping a child from straying into busy traffic, or making it easier to wrangle multiple kids at once. However, any new toy runs the risk of being misunderstood and misused. So perhaps we should cut the woman in this video some slack. Melissa Catherine Smith-Means was caught on tape in a [Verizon](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gizmo-watch-3-adventure) store, dragging her child around by the leash. Perhaps the leash should have come with more specific instructions, and a warning: Do Not Abuse Child In Public. Smith-Means has been arrested for the incident, which is a relief when considering that no one else in the store seems to react to this at all. Someone was amused enough to get this on film, but it seems no one was bothered enough to put a stop to it. We just hope that child-dragging is *not* the latest fashion in parenting. At least this [viral video](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/i-can-fix-him) is sweeping the net like wildfire. Take that, abusive parents. We’re all watching you. And we don’t like what we see. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.5/10 - Popularity: 12% | Activity: 84% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Viral](https://www.trendhunter.com/viral) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Child Safety Technology:** Developing advanced and intuitive child safety devices that function better than leashes. - **Child Abuse Prevention Education:** Introducing parenting classes and advertisements of the importance of understanding the proper use of child safety devices. - **Public Surveillance:** Enforcing surveillance in public places to prevent child abuse incidents from going unnoticed. ### Who This Affects Most - **Technology:** Creating innovative parenting technology, featuring smart and effective child safety devices. - **Education:** Developing educational programs for parents and care-givers to prevent child abuse incidents from happening. - **Security:** Introducing video-surveillance and IoT devices in public places to ensure the safety of children. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Child Abuse-Preventing Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/prevent-child-abuse-america.md) - [Virtual Dog Leashes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heel-roam-350.md) - [Demonic Parenting Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oni-kara-denwa-app.md) - [Child-Centric Online Safety Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/online-safety.md) - [Emotional Mothers Day Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/apples-mothers-day.md) - [Car Safety-Promoting PSAs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/never-happens-campaign.md) - [Cross-Body Dog Leashes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/extra-long-leash.md) - [Cybersafety-Focused Resource Libraries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/worst-childrens-library.md) - [Intuitive Intelligent Pet Leashes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/intelligent-pet-leash.md)