Nine-year-old bullied Australian boy Quaden Bayles, who hit headlines across the world after his plight went viral on social media, has posted proof of his age to quell rumors that he is older than he seems and is 18.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) had previously reported that the boy had become the subject of vicious trolling online after a post circulating on Twitter claimed he did not deserve the sympathy he was getting and had “scammed everybody.” “Just so you know he scammed everybody … he’s 18, has plenty of money and yeah everyone fell for it,” the post read.
Since then, such theories have become commonplace on the interwebs, something that irked his mother, Yarraka Bayles, to the point she took to Instagram to post his birth certificate to prove, once and for all, that he is just a nine-year-old boy.
In a video posted on his page, which now has close to 600,000 followers, Quaden can be seen holding his passport, where his date of birth is given as December 13, 2010.
“I can understand why people think my son @quaden_the_kid is not really 9y.o,” she wrote in the caption. “He’s an old soul, wise beyond his years and definitely the smartest, strongest kid I will ever know. He has so much swag and attitude, unlike any other 9y.o you’ll ever meet. He is obviously not you’re average kid but like any other person, he just wants to be happy and healthy and I will do all I can to ensure that.”
“So just to set the record straight… Quaden was born at 12:15pm on Monday December 13, 2010!” she continued. “s you can clearly see here on his passport that was issued 22nd September 2017 before our first trip to Fiji. A simple google search can also prove the facts or watch the documentary in bio.”
Trolls claiming he was older had pointed to an Instagram post where he was seemingly celebrating his 18th birthday. They also highlighted pictures of him in a Gucci sweatshirt, him standing next to a woman, and what looked like an 18th birthday party.
Yarraka had tried to squash such claims previously by sharing a post from someone who claimed to know Quaden before his viral video. “He’s nine! Dwarfism is not a joke, is he a model or actor?” the post had read. “So are a lot of kids… That doesn’t mean s**t!”
The claims were also debunked by fact-checking website Snopes, who wrote in a sarcastic tone, “It might come as a surprise to some, but standing next to a number does not automatically change your age to that number.”
“In that same vein, wearing a shirt reading ‘Gucci’ or standing next to an adult woman are not activities exclusively reserved for 18-year-olds,” the page added.
