To find it incredibly rude when people constantly check their phone during a meal?

[ujjayi]

I recently had friends over for a meal and the couple in question constantly checked their phones, posting on FB (they were quite open about it). Now, perhaps DH and I are terribly dull company but I was really put out that someone would behave so rudely.

If they had been checking on the babysitter or if DCs weren't settled etc I would have had no problem with it.

I don't think IABU.......but how on earth do you begin to address it? Do you call them out on it?

If they do it while you are talking, what happens if you stop talking? Just sit and stare at them until they finish? I'm going to try this next time.

Saw a shop a couple of years ago with a sign in the door saying something along the lines of "since your phone call is so important, we will wait until you have finished before serving you".

I would not spend money in a shop which had that on the door, whether i was on my phone or not. People have busy lives and i would not be able to organise things or speak to people if i couldn't do so while food shopping or buying lunch when i was working long shifts. As i said earlier standing in a queue is not a social situation and as long as you do the friendly eye contact, smile, say hello, pay and say thank you - which is all doable whilst on the phone then i don't think it is rude at all.

So where have all the Mind your own business, it's my phone crowd .... there's plenty of you.

have are

I only take a call in a shop if it might be important. I took one from the school while I was paying once to say my daughter had been taken ill, though I did apologise to the assistant.

I would never check my phone repeatedly during a meal, I might just glance at it every now and then if we had a babysitter. I agree it's very rude indeed.

What are people doing when they look at their phones all the time?

On FB/ MN /Twitter

I don't let my DCs bring their phones to the table at home. I make them put them away if we're out at a restaurant together.

My DH is guilty of using his iphone at the table while we're out, Googling things we may be talking about - "WHO was it that played X in whatever film" - that sort of thing. Tbh that even gets on my tits a bit too if it goes on too long but i let it go. At least that is still participating in the conversation ...

I'll admit to using my phone that way, fluffy. It's a tool and I'll use it as a tool if I need to.

That's not quite the same as insisting on posting to Facebook, unless you're with a group of people who another group of people want to see a picture of like my last MN meet up but we were all doing it!

P'raps it's just because i'm wrong 90% of the time with trivial facts in conversation and now he has his iphone i get called on it

I work freelance, If I don't answer texts and emails, which can come in at any time, I miss out on jobs. I don't sit checking and texting my phone constantly, but I will check my phone every now and then, and answer urgent work related messages. I let the people I'm out with know that it's business, not pleasure, though.

"YANBU. This drives me mad. It's really rude and I can't understand why people like this don't just stay at home and text and post away to their heart's content. Why bother meeting up with people if you're not going to bother talking properly to them."

I totally agree. None of my friends do this but if anyone did. I would probably clear the table and not bother serving anything else until they stopped. I would also ask them if it was an emergency or what is so important that it can't wait until later.

I would no more do this than pick up the phone for a social natter with my sister in front of guests. The world is full of people full of their own self importance.