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?

I hate this too. Its in restaurants, cafes, hairdressers, buses, trains. Everywhere except in a church (although thats also a possibility!) I hate it so much it puts me off going to places as whats the point if my own experience is going to be ruined by the constant background noise of devices.

I just read about a brawl in a Brazilian cinema because a mum let her kid watch YouTube through a screening of Barbie. It really is inescapable!

I think it opens up a big market in screen-free venues. I've been to a performance where all phones got sealed in bags at the start and I can see this gaining traction. I would 100% pay for a phone-free cinema, restaurant, train carriage etc!

food place of any kind
friend made devices outlawed in her place she has more work than she can cover

@petermaddog yes it's becoming popular. If someone whips out of their phone or iPad they can leave! Makes for a much better atmosphere

It does bug me when people say their children can't wear headphones as they're too young. At what age do they suddenly become old enough? If they've spent a few years watching without headphones why would they suddenly accept at say age 5 that they need to wear them now? It needs to be something started young so it becomes routine. And if they really won't wear them then sound off.
I also don't like people saying their child can't wear headphones due to special needs. What about children with special needs so can't tolerate the noise? I'm autistic and unnecessary noise drives me insane. It can be like physical pain and ive had to leave places in the past. I take noise cancelling headphones with me everywhere these days. I was also like this as a child. What happens if you get a child like me in a restaurant who can't wear headphones due to sensory issues and are stuck next to a child blasting YouTube at full volume who also apparently can't wear headphones? Whose needs win?

Absolutely infuriating

In other countries kids are able to run around waiters in restaurants - but British society doesn’t allow that

^
😅

It doesn't annoy me at all

We were recently out for a family meal and my SiL did this for my 18 month old nephew! I bit my tongue very hard that day. Its not something I've ever resorted to for my DC.

I hate this. The noise of electronic devices is actually painful to me.

We limit screen use, but have used them on planes. Our daughter was two when we first flew. We downloaded some cartoons onto her iPad and she wore headphones. Would never have occurred to us to have done otherwise.

Good for you 👍🏻 I really admire people who can acknowledge and consider new info that contradicts what they had previously thought. Especially online where so many people just double down.

I’m staying in a naice 5-star city hotel and was waiting in the lobby this morning. A man sitting close by decided that everybody would enjoy listening to his music playing tinnily from his phone without headphones at really quite a loud volume. I didn’t bother saying anything; if people don’t know it’s not socially acceptable they’re not going to take advice from a middle-aged woman accompanied by her children, and we both know it 🤷‍♀️

Out of all the threads with annoyed holiday goers this one is I incredibly annoying

And I don’t think it’s good for the dc

DS1 was little just before smart phones and tablets became so ubiquitous. I entertained him the old-fashioned way, with colouring and toy cars. It wasn't always sucessful, and there were a number of family dinners where I didn't have dessert as in the interests of DS1 and every body in the vincinity, he was removed to the car or taken out for walks. There was a phase where we avoided unnecessary places like restaurants as they weren't worth the stress. As it turns out that he's autistic, it's taken a lot longer to "train him up" and we can still have sensory issues. I'm still prepared to take him out if necessary- last time he was 11. He does now use his phone either with headphones or silently and that does help. But no one else needs to hear about Warhammer while they eat.

It's pretty galling when you put a lot of effort into making sure your own children are not ruining things for other people, and things get ruined by sloppy parents thinking it's acceptable to broadcast Peppa Pig at everyone else in the area.

the upsurge in people using phones with no headphones is enraging.

It’s not just kids though - the number of adults on the London-Glasgow train last week watching videos with no headphones or having conversations with speakerphone on was unreal.

Yes. I got on a bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow and the adults sitting in the row in front and looked about early 20's, got their laptop out to watch a film without earphones. I had to intervene and say absolutely not. They probably thought I was a loon but there's no way I was listening to that for an hour.

It isn't just children but it mainly is in restaurants and it's why we mostly book adult only hotels now.
I think most venues should ban phones going to a concert is ruined now by people videoing the whole concert. We go to the theatre and phones are banned there why not elsewhere?

Couldn't agree more OP. It's so rude to other diners and it's terrible parenting. When we go out to eat with my toddler we choose our time to suit him, choose a place with a play area whilst we wait, he doesn't go in the highchair until food is ready, toys are available but no screens and we curtail our meal to just mains if he's getting bored. It's perfectly possible if different to pre -children, but that's life as a parent. It won't be like this forever (but it will be if you've taught your children screens are essential in restaurants and not bothered to treat them as actual humans who can participate in family mealtime chat!)

I do really wonder how these kids will regard restaurants growing up - as a place to watch noisy screens rather than for eating and chatting? It feels like a social skill that isn't getting passed down.

I think it should be like bike helmets - you don't go on the bike (device) unless you wear the helmet (headphones). Toddlers get the hang of it pretty quickly!

Yes I think that's exactly what happens. I see it in my younger cousins. Now in their late teens, they can't manage to sit through an extended family meal without getting phones out to watch videos and giggle at memes together. It excludes others and ruins the flow of conversation. As soon as they can they're off and nobody actually gets a chance to speak to them.