A seven-year-old boy was in disbelief when he discovered he must complete 1.8 million skips after promising to match every single ‘like’ with a jump on a weight-loss video posted by his father.
Footage filmed in Linyi, Shandong province, China, shows the boy, nicknamed Tangdou, solemnly hooking little fingers with his father, surnamed He, as they seal their pact on camera.
His father tells him: “However many likes this video gets, that’s how many times you will skip. One thousand, you have to skip. Ten thousand, you have to skip.” The child nods firmly and agrees.
The video was intended to document Tangdou’s efforts to slim down over the school break.
The seven-year-old is 1.32 metres tall and weighs 45 kilogrammes (90 lbs). According to China’s National Health Commission, boys of his age are generally expected to weigh between 19kg and 26kg.
He had already struck a separate “contract” with his father, agreeing that he would receive CNY 10 (GBP 1.08) for every half kilogramme he lost before the new term, and pay the same amount if he gained weight.
His school had also assigned daily skipping as winter holiday homework, requiring 100 skips a day.
On the first day, the video attracted around 150 likes, and Tangdou completed 150 skips as promised.
Chubby boy agrees to jump rope for every 'like' he gets, but then gets 1.8 million likes in Shandong, China. The video was shared on Douyin - the Chinese version of TikTok on Feb. 9, 2026. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (AsiaWire)
But after it was posted on 9th February, the clip rapidly spread online. By the morning of 10th February, the number of likes had soared past 1.8 million.
It means that the boy will need to skip 300 times a day for 16 years to keep his promise.
In a follow-up video, his father reveals the staggering figure. The boy appears overwhelmed and says: “I cannot skip that much. Dad, could you skip for me?”
Speaking to the media, Mr He said the response was completely unexpected and that he was “still a bit stunned” by how quickly the numbers climbed.
Despite the scale of the challenge, he shared the message to show the promise will be honoured and said he plans to supervise his son’s exercise.
He has set a target of 300 skips per day, divided into groups, to help him continue training for his health.
He added that he hopes the experience will teach his son the importance of honouring promises while building a consistent exercise habit.
(Aloysius Fernandes /AsiaWire)