[5] The live action music video was produced by Visible Studios, Directed by Nick Kozakis and Liam Kelly, and released on 9 April 2020.

The video features a young boy 'Jimmy' falling into a confusing dream world where he looks back at past traumas, before ultimately being rescued by 'Young Tones'.

Debbie Carr of Triple J felt "Bad Child" was a trademark Tones and I song with Watson's "fingerprints all over it", and favourably compared the lyrical content to "Johnny Run Away".

[6] On the other hand, Lars Brandle of Billboard thought the track with its "punchy keys and fat bass, all sitting under Tones' powerhouse vocals" was reminiscent of Watson's previous hit "Dance Monkey".

[7] Idolator's Mike Wass called the song a "bop" and predicted it to be "all over radio in a couple of months".