Update | Controversy over urinating toddler threatens to escalate as state media, angry net users weigh in

State media weighed into the debate over a mainland child urinating in a Hong Kong street on Thursday, stating that both the youngster’s parents and those who so vocally objected to their actions needed to “raise their level of civilisation”.

In a commentary published in its overseas edition, the questioned whether the bystanders who captured the young boy’s act on camera had acted properly, while calling for a need for “mutual civilisation and understanding” between tourists and Hongkongers.

Meanwhile, in a move which could further escalate tensions between Hong Kong and the mainland, an anonymous internet user at one of China's most popular online forums, Tianya.cn, has urged mainland parents to take their children to Hong Kong next week and let them urinate in the streets. 

"Bring children to Hong Kong and let them urinate in Hong Kong's streets. Let's see who will come and take photos. They will see it as natural after they have been familiarised with the act," user Haijiao No68 wrote.

The incident over the urinating toddler, reported earlier this week, reignited a debate about the behaviour of mainland tourists in the city, dividing opinion on whether the parents were in the right or wrong in allowing their child to urinate in a busy Mong Kok street.

Since being posted on social media earlier this week the video and images have drawn more than one million comments and reposts on Weibo alone, while the incident sparked heated debate on both Facebook and Twitter.