Watch smoking toddler being allowed to continue puffing on cigarette as passers-by LAUGH

      

This shocking video shows a toddler in China puffing on a cigarette as passers-by laugh.

The child, estimated to be aged between two and three, sits at a roadside table lapping up the attention.

At one point the child begins to cough, but the onlookers - some of who filmed the scene - find it hilarious.

Amid a flurry of heartless messages on the Live Leak, albion3000 offered this thought: "Should have nothing but fresh air in his tiny lungs, poor little sod."

Krazy2310 pointed out: "Just trying to mimic adults. Don’t smoke in front of/around children."

While messedupworld simply stated: "This is sad."

Over half of China's male population is estimated to smoke regularly. Recently the government banned smoking in and around public buildings.

It is not the first time a toddler has been caught smoking on camera: in 2010 Aldi Rizal of Sumatra, Indonesia achieved worldwide notoriety after ITN News footage emerged of him smoking and acting like a 'mob boss' on a house porch.

The video has been watched more than 27 million times on YouTube.