Viral footage showing a Saudi man forcing a toddler to smoke angered thousands of tweeps after it started circulating on Twitter earlier this week.

The video captures the person, who is believed to be one of the child's relatives, giving him a cigarette, then pulling it away.

The man then asks the kid if he wants to take more puffs and he fearfully responds saying yes, twice.

Just hours after the footage went viral all over Saudi social media, hundreds reported it to the country's Ministry of Labor and Social Development, who promised to take action.

Authorities have since issued an arrest warrant against the man...

A promise of action wasn't enough to end the intense backlash ensuing over the matter though.

The ministry's official spokesman, Khaled Aba Al Khail, then made a statement about the incident, saying an investigation had been launched.

Soon after, Public Prosecutor Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al Mojab also issued an arrest warrant against the person who was heard in the video.

The footage had sparked fury among Saudi tweeps

Many were incredibly upset over it...

"This is heartbreaking, this father is truly not responsible enough to handle a child." 

Others just couldn't even...

"Have people gone mad or what?"

"Unfortunately, we've become a failed nation, even when it comes to playing with our children"

"I hope he doesn't turn out to be this child's father"

"He considers this a silly joke and doesn't know its effect on this innocent child"

"Or on other children who are going to see this footage." 

Many called on authorities to take immediate action

"He must be held accountable over this." 

People are now reporting other similar videos to authorities online...

Unfortunately, this isn't the first incident of the sort...

Earlier this year, a Saudi father was arrested after a video capturing the moment he gave his three-year-old son a cigarette went viral on social media.

At the time, the kingdom's Ministry of Labor and Social Development issued a statement announcing the arrest and warning parents that all forms of child abuse are punishable under the country's existing laws.