A Japanese couple known for uploading wholesome family videos on YouTube sparked controversy after filming their 2-year-old daughter crying inside a locked car on a hot day for about 30 minutes instead of getting her out.

At the end of May,  ラウなのファミリー (“Rau-nano Family), a YouTube channel that documents the daily life of a Japanese couple with their three children, uploaded a video titled 炎天下の中…2歳娘が車に閉じ込められました (“Under the blazing sun… my 2-year-old daughter was locked in the car,”).  The shocking title hints at the couple’s goal of grabbing attention and boosting viewership, but while the video managed to do just that, they didn’t anticipate the criticism coming with their new-found fame. That is surprising, to say the least, as the controversial video shows the father of the family casually filming his 2-year-old daughter as she cries desperately for about 30 minutes after accidentally getting stuck in the family car on a hot summer day with no windows open.

The disturbing video, which has since been removed from the Rau-nano Family YouTube channel, shows the head of the family placing the older daughter, two-year-old Nanoka, in the backseat of the family’s Toyota, and preparing to do the same with her younger sister. It is at this moment that Nanoka, who is holding the car keys as her father handles the little sister, accidentally locks herself in the car.

Realizing the danger of having a toddler locked inside a car in the scorching sun, the father doesn’t call emergency services or even ask anyone for help instead filming the young girl as he loudly repeats “It’s an emergency! Nanoka is locked in the car. The car is locked and she cannot get out!”

As the visibly scared 2-year-old girl continues to cry and sweat inside the hot car, her father continues to record the ordeal and tries to give her instructions to unlock the vehicle from inside. Child behavior experts explained that these instructions are virtually impossible to understand by the average 2-year-old child, so expecting Nanoka to follow them is simply dumb.

In the end, after shooting about half an hour of content, the young father calmly phones a locksmith who manages to unlock the door from the outside and free little Nanoka. For some reason, the couple behind the Rau-nano Family decided that the ordeal made for good content, so it was uploaded on YouTube. Criticism started pouring into the comments sections, and the video was eventually taken down.

“Does the money you earn from risking your child’s life make you feel good?” one YouTube user asked.

“The parents are crazy,” another comment read. “I have encountered a similar situation, and at that time, my heart was broken and I was so nervous that I felt like I wasn’t even alive. It’s amazing that someone can stay so calm to record this on their phone.”

Following the massive backlash, the mother-father duo came out with an apology video, expressing regret for the unfortunate incident and explaining that they never intended to put their child under stress or harm her in any way. They also announced that they would be taking a short break from YouTube for a while to think about the family’s future.

Today, the Rau-nano Family posted another video, once again apologizing to their fans, but hinting that they would move forward with their YouTube project which currently numbers over 59,000 subscribers.

“I am very grateful to those who shared their various opinions with us about this matter, and it was a good opportunity to reconsider my shortcomings as a parent… as a person.,” the young father said. “I am still an immature parent, so I think I will receive various criticisms from now on, but I will continue to take them seriously and respond to them. Once again, I am sorry for causing disappointment and concern to everyone due to my reckless actions.”