The Bachelor Australia 2018‘s Nick “Honey Badger” Cummins has copped backlash for sharing footage of his infant children without lifejackets on a boat.
Taking to Instagram in late July, the 36-year-old rugby union pro posted a Reel of him cuddling his two sons, Billy and Mack, while on a moving boat in Greece.
In the clip, the two boys — both under two years old — appeared to be without lifejackets, and followers weren’t impressed.
Flocking to the comment section, users highlighted how “terrifying” it was that Nick‘s sons weren’t wearing proper safety devices.
“Call me Karen, but for the love of God man, keep your precious ones safe. Life vests, FFS!” one person wrote.
“Lifejacket is my first thought,” Gogglebox Australia‘s Isabelle Silbery wrote.
A third onlooker said the video and lack of safety was “bloody irresponsible”.
“Lifejackets for the kiddies dude… It’s parenting 101.”
Nick Cummins and partner Alexandra George claim children wore flotation devices
In the comment section, Nick and his partner Alexandra George criticised “Karens” for assuming their sons weren’t wearing any floatation devices.
Replying to one user criticising Nick for not having “a brain” both on The Bachelor and IRL, Alexandra claimed her children were wearing “Deckvest Cento”.
“You can see outline under T-shirt,” Alexandra wrote. “Why are you following [Nick]? Stupidity at its finest.”
Nick added: “Have a day off Karen, you know where the door is.”
Per multiple retail sites, the Deckvest Cento is a “junior inflatable lifejacket”.
However, according to the vest’s description online, they are recommended for children aged eight to fifteen, weighing 20 to 50 kilos.
What are the laws surrounding lifejackets for children?
While laws vary from state to state, there is a general consensus that all children up to the age of 12 must wear a lifejacket when in an open body of water.
Per Royal Life Saving Australia, “a lifejacket should be worn by everyone in open water environments”, namely when “boating, jet skiing or sailing”, “using watercraft such as canoes, kayaks, paddle boards”, fishing, or whenever you “expect to be in the water for long periods of time”.
These requirements aren’t void overseas either.
In Greece, where the Cummins family is holidaying, laws require all boats to have “one wearable lifejacket for each person on board”.
Meanwhile, “children, non-swimmers, and anyone requiring extra assistance should always wear a lifejacket on any boat”.
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