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We can often observe incidents where false news is created and shared on social media based on sensitive issues involving children, with the aim of misleading society. Such false information spreads rapidly in society. Below is a fact-check that we conducted regarding a false post that spread very rapidly on social media networks.
Social Media Posts:
A post was shared on social media claiming that a mother had given birth to a child with three feet of hair at Peradeniya Hospital.
Many people had shared the relevant Facebook post, believing it to be true.
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Many others had also wished the mother and child well and good health.
We conducted a fact-check to confirm whether this incident, which can be considered an extremely rare occurrence, had actually occurred.
Fact Check:
If such an extremely rare birth had occurred, it would have been reported in the mainstream media, as well as in local and foreign media. However, our background check confirmed that no such news had been reported by any media outlet. Accordingly, we directly inquired with the Peradeniya Hospital regarding this matter.
Peradeniya Teaching Hospital
We inquired with the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital whether a mother had given birth to a baby with 3-feet-long hair at the hospital, as reported on social media. A hospital spokesperson said that the news circulating on social media is completely false and that no such baby was born at the Peradeniya Hospital. The spokesperson requested social media users refrain from sharing the false post.
A photo created using artificial intelligence
We examined the photo shared on social media by running it through several artificial intelligence recognition tools, which confirmed that it was created using artificial intelligence.
The longest hair recorded after birth belongs to a baby girl named Nitara Vignesh (2024) from India. Her hair is 16.5 inches long.
The world record for the longest hair length was set by Nitara Vignesh in Thiruvarur (Tamil Nadu), India, on September 24, 2024. At 8 months and 22 days old, Nitara Vignesh’s hair was 16.5 inches long, breaking the previous record of 15.5 inches.
However, there is no official or reliable source anywhere in the world about a baby being born with hair that is three feet (36 inches) long. Since the average height of a newborn is 18 to 20 inches (about 1.5 feet), the biological probability of a baby being born with hair that is twice as long as the baby’s body is extremely low.
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Conclusion:
Our investigation shows that the posts circulating on social media claiming that a mother at the Peradeniya Hospital gave birth to a child with 3 feet of hair are false. The Peradeniya Teaching Hospital confirmed that no such birth took place. Accordingly, it can be identified that these posts were created and published with the intention of misleading society.
Title: Was a baby born with 3 feet of hair at Peradeniya Hospital?
Fact Check By: Pavithra Hansani
Result: False
