An Indian teenager was accused of emotional blackmail after going on a hunger strike for three days to pressure his poor mother into buying him an iPhone.

A short video shot by a smartphone shop owner in India went viral last week for featuring a teenage boy who confessed to going on a hunger strike for three days to convince his mother to buy him a new iPhone. The woman, who reportedly makes a living by selling flowers outside a temple, is also featured in the video and has a facial expression that pretty much says everything about her inner struggle. Shared by Indian journalist Abhishek on X (formerly Twitter), the video has been viewed over a million times and has sparked a heated debate about gadgets as a status symbol and the entitlement of younger generations.

“I sell flowers outside a temple and I gave him the money to buy the phone because he did not eat anything for three days,” the woman says in the viral video. “I am happy but I want him to earn and bring back the money.”

The teen’s attitude toward his mother has attracted a lot of criticism online, with many social media users accusing him of financial and emotional torture, and insensibility towards his parent. Knowing she sold flowers for a living, he still insisted that she buy him a smartphone he knew they couldn’t really afford.

“This video is saddening,” Abhishek wrote.” This boy’s mother sells flowers outside a temple. He insisted on buying an iPhone and went on a hunger strike for 3 days. In the end, the mother gave up and bought him an iPhone with her hard-earned money. Her expression says a lot.”

“Spending this much money on a phone (iPhone) when you don’t work, while your mother toiled hard by selling flowers, doesn’t make any sense,” another X user commented. “His mother gave up because he went on a hunger strike. I don’t know what to say. This video broke my heart.”

“iPhone-mania” has caused people to do some crazy things over the years, with some people going as far as selling their kidneys on the black market for an iPhone.