Pop-up ad accused of delaying life-saving call during Chinese woman’s heart attack sparks debate
Por Fran Lu — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Trending in China People & Culture Trending in China Pop-up ad accused of delaying life-saving call during Chinese woman’s heart attack sparks debate
Pop-up ads frustrate everyone; their exit buttons are hard for sighted users to find and nearly impossible for the visually impaired to locate
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Fran Lu in Beijing Published: 2:00pm, 17 Sep 2026
Intense public discussions surrounding the downsides of technology have been sparked by a Chinese man accusing a phone company’s lock screen feature of obstructing his father from calling an ambulance, which he claims contributed to his mother’s death.
On September 10, a 19-year-old man named Zhang shared on social media that his mother suffered a heart attack around 4am on August 30. His father attempted to dial the 120 emergency medical number, but accidentally swiped to the phone’s magazine page instead of unlocking the device, rendering him unable to exit that page.
Zhang said that his father, who suffers from long-term effects of a stroke, had to go door-to-door seeking help from neighbours. Consequently, this delay hindered his mother’s rescue efforts, and she ultimately died.
According to her death certificate, Zhang’s mother was pronounced dead at home at 5.51am.
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