A Taiwanese dad claims his life has been made a misery after a photo of his boy went viral online.

A Taiwanese dad was accused of child abuse after a picture of his son, sitting in a fridge, was shared on social media. The photo was posted as a “joke” by the father’s friend, with the caption, “I can’t afford to raise (this child). Auction prices start at 0 yuan”.

The photo showed a smiling boy, aged two, sitting behind the transparent fridge door with drinks for sale behind him.

This image was posted to social media of the boy in a fridge. Picture: AustralscopeSource:Supplied

The little boy seemed to be enjoying the experience, but it did not go down well at all with social media users.

They immediately began sharing the photo and called for police to investigate the alleged case of child abuse, saying that the man, surnamed Huang, was inappropriate and unfit to be a parent.

The photo was apparently taken by a friend of the dad, who owns a shop in Western Taiwan, reports theDaily Mail.

When local media visited the single father and his boy, they found that the incident was a total misunderstanding.

The father claimed he did not give permission for the photo to be shared online, and said his son always climbed into the fridge despite his warnings.

The boy inside the fridge. Picture: AustralscopeSource:Supplied

“My son likes to play around and climb into the fridge himself. I told him not to but he wouldn’t listen,” he said.

“One of my friends thought my son was cute and so he took a photo of him and posted it online with those comments as a joke.”

Apparently friends of the father told media that Huang was a very caring and loving father, and his son was equally devoted to his dad.

Police did not get involved in the case, despite the viral and relentless criticism of the dad.

It’s not the first time parents have been slammed for posting photos that have caused uproar on social media — in some cases understandably, in others not.

Last year, 21 year-old mum Courtney Stewart posted a shot of a boy who was in her care, who had Down syndrome, in a washing machine. It divided the internet.

“He loves the washing machine. We took a picture and it was a laugh,” she told the Daily Record, adding that the boy was “clearly laughing” in the photo.

Another mother was shamed by keyboard warriors after she posted an innocent photo of her cradling her newborn. But apparently she wasn’t holding the baby’s neck properly and everyone online blasted her for it.

Ryan Reynolds also copped abuse from the Parenting Police of cyber space after his wife, Blake Lively, posted a picture of him wearing his newborn in a baby carrier — seemingly incorrectly.

Social media users chimed in that he was carrying his new baby in an “unsafe” and “uncomfortable” way.

This article originally appeared on Kidspot.