Child Youth and Family is investigating a video in which a 6-year-old boy appears to be drinking from a beer bottle as part of a Neknominate dare.
The video of the boy, posted on Instagram, shows him sculling a drink from a Heineken bottle.
A voice in the background eggs him on: "Keep going, keep going."
A relative of the boy told One News that the contents of the bottle was actually fizzy juice and that the clip was a "piss-take" of the Neknominate social media craze; in which people are nominated to scull an alcohol drink before daring someone else to do the same.
A CYF spokeswoman said the video was alarming and they were now trying to make contact with the boy's family.
"Whether the child is indeed consuming alcohol appears to be disputed. Nevertheless, posting this video online is irresponsible and unfair to the child."
Police have also condemned the video, saying it was disappointing that the clip appeared to encourage binge drinking.
- Vaimoana Tapaleao of the New Zealand Herald
