TL;DR DS’s friend is constantly on his phone when they are together and it’s making DS not want to spend time with him. Would you say anything to the parents?
DS has a good friend, let’s call him Jimmy. He’s a nice kid. DS and Jimmy have been great mates since they were 6, they’re now 13. They were in primary together, but now at different schools. I’m friends with Jimmy’s mum too. Not extremely close, but we do socialise a bit and I like her.
They have different rules around technology to us, meaning Jimmy has more access to his phone and social media than DS.
The last few times Jimmy has been over, I’ve noticed he is on his phone a lot. He’s got one ear bud in almost constantly. Combined with the fact that he has some hearing loss, this is a problem. If you don’t see the ear bud, you can be talking to him and he’s got no idea you’re speaking to him. He’s constantly watching Snap reels (or whatever they’re called) or messaging other people.
Jimmy will put his phone away when I ask him to (e.g. during dinner) and he accepts that we don’t allow phones in the bedroom overnight. But as soon dinner is over or they’re awake in the morning, he’s back on the phone.
Last time DS stayed over at his place, Jimmy was talking on the phone until 3am, keeping DS awake too.
The last time he was here, I could sense DS getting a bit fed up. After Jimmy left, DS complained about Jimmy being on his phone all the time and saying they might as well not even spend any time together. They’re due to spend time together again soon, and DS isn’t really keen anymore.
Would you say anything to Jimmy’s mum, or just let it play out? I’d be very sad for their friendship to be lost over this. And I certainly don’t want to say anything to Jimmy’s mum that will make her feel like I’m judging her parenting.