Actor Sai Dharam Tej recently lashed out at Telugu YouTuber Praneeth Hanumanthu and his other YouTuber friends for making inappropriate jokes about a child. The YouTubers were reacting to a video of a father and daughter. Their comments included sexual references which the actor found ‘disgusting and creepy’.

Sai Dharam posted a long note on X and asked the Telangana government to investigate the matter. In another post, he warned parents to be more careful about the content they post featuring minors. Following the outrage, Praneeth has apologised and requested the internet to keep his family out when they are ‘freaking out’ on him.

Later, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy reacted to Sai’s post, writing, “Thank you @IamSaiDharamTej garu for bringing this issue to our notice. Safety of children is our government’s top priority. We will investigate this incident and take appropriate action.”

Actor Manoj Manchu also reacted to Sai’s tweet and said, “It is appalling and intolerable to see individuals like @phanumantwo using social platforms to spread abuse and hate under the guise of humour. This behaviour is not only disgusting but also dangerous. Child safety and women’s safety must be our top priority. Silence and inaction are not options.” He then tagged various authorities and urged them to take action as quickly as possible.

Sai Dharam had earlier shared a post, which read, “This is gruesome, disgusting and scary. Monsters like these go unnoticed on the much-used social platforms where child abusers are caught in the guise of so-called fun and stings. Child safety is the need of the hour. I request Hon’ble Chief Minister of Telangana @revanth_anumala and Dy. CM @Bhatti_Mallu Garu, Hon’ble Chief Minister and Dy. CM of Andhra Pradesh @PawanKalyan Garu and @naralokesh Garu to take necessary action to prevent such horrific acts in future.”

In another post, he wrote, “Whoever has this concern, my humble request to all the parents is to please use some level of discretion while posting videos or photos of your kids, as the world of social media has become cruel and dangerous and it is very difficult to stop or control these beasts from becoming violent and dangerous, so please be careful, aware and exercise due care before posting photos or videos of your kids, and to those who have stooped to such a low level, I hope you never have to witness the parental turmoil regarding your comments.”

Meanwhile, YouTuber Praneeth Hanumanthu apologised and said he has removed the ‘problematic’ part of the clip: “Have removed the problematic part from the video. Apologise unconditionally and unequivocally for the lapse in judgement. As a creator, I always try to bring a smile. Unfortunately, this time I crossed the line between dark and distasteful.”

The YouTuber concluded, “Be as angry at me as you want, but please keep my family out of this. They don’t deserve this. I may not be the best son to them, but they are definitely the best parents a child could have.”