Yan’s videos provide parents with a low-cost ‘emotional remedy’ for their educational worries, according to a teacher
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenFran Luin BeijingPublished: 10:27am, 7 Aug 2026A man in central China has gone viral for a series of “second-hand brat recycling” videos that are splitting public opinion, with some praising them as vital educational tools and others warning that they cause childhood trauma.
Yan Zhengjun, known by the nickname “Uncle A Jun,” hails from Henan province and has amassed 1.6 million followers on a popular platform.
Since 2021, Yan has created hundreds of humorous videos centred around the theme of “recycling naughty kids.”
In these videos, he typically dons a scruffy overcoat, pulls a cart, and wields a loudhailer, proclaiming: “Do any of you have a child addicted to phone games, picky about food, sleepless, prone to crying, or disobedient? Send them over!”
Many Chinese parents have bookmarked his scare-tactic videos to show to their unruly children, finding this approach more effective than constant nagging.
