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Story of bullied boy goes viral, followed by internet debate about his real age

Quaden Bayles has received a massive outpouring of support from people all over the world.
Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism/Facebook
Quaden Bayles has received a massive outpouring of support from people all over the world.
SOURCE: Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism/Facebook
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Story of bullied boy goes viral, followed by internet debate about his real age
Bullied at school for his dwarfism, 9-year-old Quaden Bayles sobs uncontrollably in the back of his mother's car — saying to the camera: "Give me a knife, I want to kill myself."His mother, Yarraka Bayles, from the Australian state of Queensland, posted the heartbreaking Facebook Live video this week to raise awareness of the impact of bullying. In the video, she said her son had previously attempted suicide."This is what bullying does," she said in the video. "Can you please educate your children, your families, your friends?"Yet what began as a plea has quickly become a movement--only to be followed by a wave of skepticism online. The video has been viewed 16 million times since it was posted on Tuesday, with Bayles receiving a massive outpouring of support from around the world, according to Seven News.Among them is Australian actor Hugh Jackman, who posted a video message to Twitter telling Bayles: "No matter what, you've got a friend in me.""Quaden, you are stronger than you know, mate," Jackman said. "Everyone, let's just please be kind to each other. Bullying is not OK, period."A GoFundMe page set up by comedian Brad Williams, based in California, has raised more than $360,000— and he says he's using the money to send Bayles and his mother to Disneyland."This isn't just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren't good enough," Williams said on the fundraising page. "Let's show Quaden and others that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it."Williams, who also lives with achondroplasia, said on Twitter that he was "speechless" with the amount of donations received, which included air tickets for Bayles and his mom to go to Disneyland.Social media quickly began to react skeptically to Bayles’ story, including one particular post claiming he had “scammed everybody.”One such post Friday caught the attention of thousands and eventually caused speculation about whether Bayles is actually a teenager to trend on social media.A user named Jasmein Dowe claimed that Bayles “has plenty of money and yeah everyone fell for it,” according to the New York Post. Dowe’s Twitter account appeared to have been later taken down. A photo included in Dowe’s original post reportedly included one from Bayles’s Instagram page that showed him with a number 18 in lights. Photos posted earlier in the feed, on the same day, clearly show it is another child’s 18th birthday party,. Quaden is clearly not a preteen in a video from 2015 on YouTube. It’s a clip from a TV program’s interview with Quaden and his mother titled “4-year-old raising awareness of dwarfism.” He is shown sitting on his mother’s lap playing quietly with toddler toys, making faces and later gesturing for a treat.The interview includes a video that his mother had recorded at the time that similarly went viral.He’s being pushed in a shopping cart yelling at gawkers to stop looking at him, in a distinctive toddler voice. If, as some are claiming on social media that he’s 18 years old today, he would have been about 13 years old in the video.Additional photos posted by his family on Facebook and Instagram align with him being 9 years old today. Bayles, who was born with a condition called achondroplasia dwarfism, is the face of Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism, a charity set up by his mother to raise awareness and stop bullying, according to Seven News. He has reportedly undergone multiple operations and has been bullied in the past.

Bullied at school for his dwarfism, 9-year-old Quaden Bayles sobs uncontrollably in the back of his mother's car — saying to the camera: "Give me a knife, I want to kill myself."

His mother, Yarraka Bayles, from the Australian state of Queensland, posted the heartbreaking Facebook Live video this week to raise awareness of the impact of bullying. In the video, she said her son had previously attempted suicide.

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"This is what bullying does," she said in the video. "Can you please educate your children, your families, your friends?"

Yet what began as a plea has quickly become a movement--only to be followed by a wave of skepticism online. The video has been viewed 16 million times since it was posted on Tuesday, with Bayles receiving a massive outpouring of support from around the world, according to Seven News.

Among them is Australian actor Hugh Jackman, who posted a video message to Twitter telling Bayles: "No matter what, you've got a friend in me."

"Quaden, you are stronger than you know, mate," Jackman said. "Everyone, let's just please be kind to each other. Bullying is not OK, period."

A GoFundMe page set up by comedian Brad Williams, based in California, has raised more than $360,000— and he says he's using the money to send Bayles and his mother to Disneyland.

"This isn't just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren't good enough," Williams said on the fundraising page. "Let's show Quaden and others that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it."

Williams, who also lives with achondroplasia, said on Twitter that he was "speechless" with the amount of donations received, which included air tickets for Bayles and his mom to go to Disneyland.

Social media quickly began to react skeptically to Bayles’ story, including one particular post claiming he had “scammed everybody.”

One such post Friday caught the attention of thousands and eventually caused speculation about whether Bayles is actually a teenager to trend on social media.

A user named Jasmein Dowe claimed that Bayles “has plenty of money and yeah everyone fell for it,” according to the New York Post.

Dowe’s Twitter account appeared to have been later taken down.

A photo included in Dowe’s original post reportedly included one from Bayles’s Instagram page that showed him with a number 18 in lights. Photos posted earlier in the feed, on the same day, clearly show it is another child’s 18th birthday party,.

Quaden is clearly not a preteen in a video from 2015 on YouTube. It’s a clip from a TV program’s interview with Quaden and his mother titled “4-year-old raising awareness of dwarfism.” He is shown sitting on his mother’s lap playing quietly with toddler toys, making faces and later gesturing for a treat.

The interview includes a video that his mother had recorded at the time that similarly went viral.

He’s being pushed in a shopping cart yelling at gawkers to stop looking at him, in a distinctive toddler voice. If, as some are claiming on social media that he’s 18 years old today, he would have been about 13 years old in the video.

Additional photos posted by his family on Facebook and Instagram align with him being 9 years old today.

Bayles, who was born with a condition called achondroplasia dwarfism, is the face of Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism, a charity set up by his mother to raise awareness and stop bullying, according to Seven News.

He has reportedly undergone multiple operations and has been bullied in the past.