Toddlers/young children watching videos on a phone, loudly, in restaurants

[Munchies7]

Is this a thing now? Just been for dinner with my children (we took travel triominos to play at the table). At the next table a 2-3 year old sat in a highchair with a phone propped up, loudly listening to videos. It's very unpleasant for other diners and I didn't like having to listen to it. It's not the first time over noticed it either. Parents 100% ignoring the child. At least get him some earphones. Do you think restaurants should clamo down on allowing this noise pollution?

We've just come through security at the airport and I thought of this thread. Young DC 4-5 glued to their screen with the sound on as they were literally going through security- obviously needed to be parted to go through the scanners.
It's so sad as it just feels like no aspect of every day life should be endured. I totally get using a screen in some instances and I'm not anti them for a long meal for example, but buffet breakfasts and bus journeys are not those occasions.

When we take my hyperactive nearly 2 year old to a restaurant we do our absolute best to avoid screens for as long as possible, including bringing various toys, singing songs, playing games etc. but there invariably comes a point that she is totally fed up of being in the high chair and wants to charge around the restaurant and at that stage she will screech and shout and cry and try her hardest to clamber out of the high chair. It would be very disruptive to everyone around us, so I will put an episode of Sesame Street on quietly and she will chill out and we can actually eat.
I know that there are no doubt people sitting there judging us, but ultimately it is the only way we can ever eat out without causing a huge disruptive scene. It still makes me sad to think how judgemental people can be but there's nothing much I can do about that. I'm sure the same people would judge if I didn't give her the screen and just continued trying in vain to play with her while she went ballistic, or let her run around the restaurant. I think the only thing that would make them happy would be for us to just never go to restaurants so that we are not a problem at all, but that doesn't feel like a very fair solution to me.

If you can't use headphones then maybe she is still too young for restaurants and you need to wait until she's old enough to manage. It's really not fair to subject your fellow diners to Sesame Street.

Speaking for me personally no I wouldn't. Nor over kids' noise if it's the actual kids. It's the electronic sounds that turn it into the seventh circle of hell. Just get them some fucking headphones already.

When DD was little we actively avoided 'child friendly' pubs and restaurants for this reason. We kitted her out with colouring/drawing/little toys/books etc depending on the current craze, but we also included her in our conversations. That's how children learn to interact and behave. If she got restless one of us would take her outside for a wander around etc.

I too worry about the impact of masses of screen time from a really young age is going to affect these children. Not in a good way I think

But it's fair to inflict Sesame Street and your hyperactive child on others trying to enjoy their meal? So entitled and selfish. Get headphones.

Sesame Street is on very quietly, much quieter than the surrounding conversations or music in the restaurant. She doesn't tolerate headphones, she doesn't understand them yet. If she has her quiet screen on she sits quietly and causes no bother to anyone.

The noise of electronics is irritating in a way that conversation is not. If it's loud enough for her to hear it, other people can too. Don't take her to restaurants until she understands headphones (which she never will if she's learning now she can play screens in public without them).

But you’re teaching her it’s fine to have that noise and it isn’t. Having a no headphones no noise in pubic rule from introduction of devices should be a given.

ds is autistic. We use screens when out and about but the noise from them is one rule I have been strict on because he isn’t more important than anyone else in the place.

i have very sensitive hearing and sensory issues. The addition of a noise like Sesame Street on top of the noise I know to expect in somewhere would completly throw me and make it hard for me to enjoy the meal.

irrespective of age volume on in a restaurant or similar is rude.

You expect to hear the lull of conversation or background music in restaurants. You don't and shouldn't expect to hear Sesame Street. If she can hear it others can hear it. Stay at home and order in if you can't behave decently.

It's on so quietly that I can only just hear it from the seat next to her. I'd be very surprised if, over the loud rabble of conversation and music, anyone at a neighbouring table could hear it.
To be clear, we aren't taking her to quiet little independent restaurants with 10 tables, I'm talking about big chain restaurants with 50+ tables.

If you let your kid run around in a French restaurant, you'd be met with a barrage of tuts.

It's dangerous and inconsiderate.
And yes, loud adults are annoying too.

Laughing and chatting is natural, Paw Patrol isn’t.
Don’t be ‘one of them’.

Personally I tell people to STFU when they have things blaring out - usually does the trick once they realise how annoying it is for everyone else

I don't like the judgements that people make when a child is on a screen in a restaurant. My DS would not be able to come out to a restaurant with us unless he had a phone or tablet to watch. He is non-speaking autistic (which you cannot tell by just looking at him) and he would not tolerate sitting there for more than a few minutes without a screen. With a screen he can come out with us and cope just fine for as long as we want. (The first thing he does when entering any restaurant is ask for the WiFi password!).

But no way would I let him do this without earphones. That would just be incredibly rude and he knows it.

I wish restaurants would implement a blanket 'no watching phones/tablets without headphones' rule. If your child can't handle that then a restaurant isn't for them until they do.

It's so rude and it physically hurts me. Coach journey yesterday with some child's Peppa Pig blaring from a screen in front and teenagers watching YouTube videos behind. Thank god for noise cancelling headphones for myself in that scenario but if your child can't behave in a restaurant without a noisy screen, don't take them to a restaurant!

It's rude and antisocial and she won't learn that headphones are required. Everyone always claims they have it on so quietly it can't possibly be overheard, but funnily enough we can always hear the blare of YouTube/Peppa Pig/Sesame St in restaurants somehow! It's not 'sad' that people are judging you; it's an inevitable consequence of this behaviour.

It's rude. Get headphones or leave. Two pubs near me have stopped accepting kids under 10.

Also brain dead parenting, frankly.

Anyone using screens in public need to either have their volume off or headphones in.

My autistic DC use screens a regulation tool so it's important they are able to access them when needed however they know that they either wear headphones or they have the volume off and that it's not negotiable. I'm their parent and even I don't want to hear it so why would I inflict it on other people?

I will take on board what you are all saying. My perspective had been we are taking her to a noisy/busy restaurant and almost imperceptibly adding to the background noise to stop her from being loud/disruptive, but I hadn't understood the degree of upset that even very quiet 'unnatural' sounds cause.

Exactly. Not something I have observed in other countries at all.

Adults do this too though, especially on the bus. I was at an icecream stand with tables in front and an adult woman was watching something on her phone. Last week someone sat directly behind me on the bus and watched something on their phone at full volume. So annoying. Makes me want to carry around headphones and fling them at people.

It’s strange how quiet electronic noise can be heard over louder talking, background music etc.
i find it like a buzzing bluebottle that just drives me nuts and impossible to ignore. Definitely think all electronic devices should be banned in public spaces including transport, restaurants, theatres etc. Children and adults are loosing the ability to converse and relate to others - I know I sound like an old fuddy duddy but I just don’t care!!
Children used to be able to go out and quietly draw or read a book, why does it have to be different now.

It's normal now to see children watching phones and tablets with the volume on.

I absolutely despair , whenever we go out to eat.

Spent some time in Spain , earlier in the year.
Not a single child was occupied by a device. Admittedly it was not in a tourist place.

We were once on a cruise where parents were allowing their children to run around the restaurant at the evening meal. Not only was it distracting for diners, it was also dangerous because they got under the feet of the waiters at the serving station. Hot liquids and hot dishes are not a good mix with small children.

Why should wait staff be put at risk because parents can’t supervise their children adequately? And why should diners have to put up with the possibility of being showered with food and liquids, because staff are tripping over children.