A seven-year-old boy was chained up by his parents as punishment for being naughty in southwestern China.

Video footage emerged showing the child with his hands locked up to metal chains outside his house, reports the Daily Mail.

Local police officers initiated an investigation and gave his parents a verbal warning.

The video, which first appeared on Wechat, shows a young boy standing outside with shackles on both of his hands.

A young girl can be seen sharing bread with him.

It is unsure how long the boy had been standing outside.

According to YouKu, the young boy, surnamed Li, was living with his parents in a small village in Maguan county, Yunnan Province.

In a police statement, Maguan police officers visited the place at August 24 for further investigation.

The parents told the police that their child was ‘too naughty and breaking rules’.

They chained his hands up to prevent him from destroying the neighbours’ properties.

The parents also admitted that they had punished the boy two times by locking his hands with chains in August.

There were no beating injuries found on the boy.

According to the Public Security Administration, the parents were given verbal warnings for not educating their children in a proper way.