Teens from Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, run away from summer camp along an expressway, but head home in wrong direction. Photo: Screenshot of Wevideo

Three high school students from Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, took off from their summer camp saying their holiday was no picnic, with little meat to eat and too many chores to do.    

The teens were heading  home on foot when traffic police found them walking along the emergency lane of the Qingxin Expressway. A police body-cam shows the officers giving them the bad news: They had walked in the wrong direction.

As the police escorted the students to the local police station, the teens complained they had to get up at four in the morning, work in the fields, and they didn't like the food. "It's like a juvenile prison. Not every meal has meat," complained by one of the students.

When asked by the police if they were hungry their reply amused the police and many internet users. 

"We made sure we had enough to eat before running away," one of the boys said.

Some netizens were concerned the summer camp might be abusing the children and called for increased supervision of such camps. There have been no news reports suggesting the camp was being investigated. 

If they were forced by their parents, "they will run away for sure," wrote a netizen.

"It's understandable if parents want their kids to attend a summer camp to help them get over picky eating habits, but malnutrition is bad for children's growth," wrote another, wrongly implying that a reduced-meat diet can cause malnutrition. 

Wevideo