13-Year-Old Idol Trainee’s Alleged Bullying Caught On Camera — Mother Gives Unexpected Update

Concerns have been raised for Chinese idol trainee Wei Zichen following a viral video.

Wei Zichen is part of a team of pre-debut trainees known as TF Family under TF Entertainment. TF Entertainment is responsible for the popular boy groups TFNBOYS and TNT and is home to many other artists.

Similar to SM Entertainment‘s SM Rookies in K-Pop, the members of TF Family are known and participate in content despite not yet having officially debuted.

Recently, a video circulated on social media showed Wei Zichen being physically held down by a schoolmate larger than him. Once the other student lets go, Wei Zichen gets up, briefly glancing at the other with a blank expression.

After this video went viral, netizens raised other concerns about the young trainee, including red marks on his arms in photos and videos.

Following this, Wei Zichen’s mother addressed concerns, surprisingly stating that no bullying took place and that they were “just playing.” She also stated that the marks on his arms were from scratches he gave himself due to allergies.

Thank you very much to all fans for worrying about Zichen. I saw some information on the internet today, and also got a notice from the teacher to go to the school to gain an understanding of what happened.After checking, it’s been confirmed that Zichen was playing around with his classmates after school. It was not school bullying. They get along well, and there are no conflicts between them. The school bullying accusations spreading online are not true. To protect the minors, I’d like to ask fans and netizens to stop posting and spreading false information. Once again, thank you for everyone’s concern for Zichen!Additionally, the mark on Zichen’s arm was from his own scratching due to allergies. Thank you for everyone’s concern! Wei Zichen’s mom.

— Wei Zichen’s mother

Despite the statement, many fans of the idol trainee remain suspicious.