Is this accepted now? Young children and electronics on public transport.

[AnneGrommit]

The last few times I've been on a train (not in quiet coach) and quite often on the bus I've had my peace disturbed by toddlers with phones/tablets either playing noisy games on them or watching programmes. When I've asked parents to rein them in I've been invariably met with either passive aggressive remarks about not liking children (I have three myself) or outright hostility and a statement along the lines of "it keeps them quiet". No, it doesn't. It stops them from pestering you but it's far from quiet. AIBU or is this an accepted "thing" now? Because it's fucking annoying.

Kids??? I see adults doing this everyday. Adults listening to phones, playing games or watching programmes with no headsets on.

Id rather hear peppa pig than a child screaming

Well I'll come in and just remind you that some children, like my son, have special needs

And I'll remind you that children can have very different special needs. Some, like my son, would be very very upset about the noise your child is making with their electronic devices. He doesn't understand why it's ok to make such irritating noises, and frankly neither do I.

Winterview yes much better than the alternative.

I think the people who think others are entitled are being just as entitled and far less pleasant. The snide remarks about SN children are particularly unpleasant. Shame on you.

I disagree. If quiet talking is ok, why is quiet electronic noise different?

It's completely different. You have to be pretty dim not to realise the difference. Is this why so many people think its acceptable?

2/3 of my children have ASD, they don't get volume. Yes, that caused problems initially, but like all people, my children had to learn what is acceptable. They might not like the rules, but they know the rules exist and that their use of an electronic device is dependent on following them.

We're going on holiday next week, DD will be watching the iPad on the plane as it's guaranteed to occupy her for the whole flight while we try and calm a teething toddler. However I have bought children's headphones for her to wear.

Teething baby I meant!

And I'll remind you that children can have very different special needs. Some, like my son, would be very very upset about the noise your child is making with their electronic devices. He doesn't understand why it's ok to make such irritating noises, and frankly neither do I.

This

abigcupoffuckyou, did you miss the bit when lots of people said they would prefer to hear the electronic noise than kids screaming or parents reading a book for 40 minutes? Maybe we aren't the dim ones?

did you miss the bit when lots of people said they would prefer to hear the electronic noise than kids screaming or parents reading a book for 40 minutes? Maybe we aren't the dim ones?

They are though. And why is it a choice between extremes? I'd rather hear neither a screaming child OR peppa fucking pig blaring out of your phone. You know, like most people?

I take ear plugs when I go on public transport just in case. Not a big fan of confrontation and many people have different ideas of what's acceptable in public. On the rare times I take the train into Waterloo (I'm usually by scooter) the train rage can be shocking / entertaining at the same time

I was going to start a thread about this myself as it drives me fucking nuts!

Every single day there is a child on my bus that has to be entertained with a gadget. I think it's more so that the parent can look at their own phone in peace. How about you talk to your child and have a conversation.

Nobody expects small children to be completely silent
Agree with that, and my worry when mine (both of whom turned out to be autistic FWIW) were little was that if they started depending on devices (just my iPhone then) they would never learn to entertain themselves on journeys/in restaurants at all. It was difficult when they were little but worth it.

Playing electronic devices without headphones, no matter how low the volume it like graffitti or dropping litter - essentially just a 'fuck you' from entitled idiots. The well-being of us all depends on thinking of other people, not just ourselves, but unfortunately there are people who don't get that.

It seems the biggest issue here is peppa pig so easy solution - ban peppa pig!

TBF you only see a snapshot of someone's day and maybe that's the first moment the child has been on the gadget. You just don't know someone's circumstance from looking at them on a bus so gadget snobbery does annoy me.

However I agree that the noise is irritating and you can get cheap headphones for kids. Mine cost £5 for my DD from Primark.

TBF you only see a snapshot of someone's day and maybe that's the first moment the child has been on the gadget

Unlikely but why do I care if its their first time or millionth time? The irritance to everyone else is the exact same.

True abigcup my post was more a response to the poster who said they don't agree with them watching gadgets full stop.

Like a PP I'm also when adults watch YouTube videos loud on the train. And show their mates and howl like hyenas. Rude!

Bloody hell! What a lot of intolerant judgy pants comments going on here today! Jeez! I don't see any problem with children listening quietly to devices. There are far worse crimes on public transport in my opinion (from both adults and children). Do I let my children play on electronic devices in public? Yes. Do they wear ear phones? No, I don't want to wreck their hearing. To put that in context, if my child is sitting next to me and I can hear what they're listening to on their device then it's too loud but really? If this is what you're getting exercised about then you really should count yourself lucky. You'll all be very pleased to know that I very fairly use public transport.

YANBU - it's a pet hate of mine. I did let DD Listen to music on my phone on long jounrneys and she has had my iPad when she was younger but always with heads phones on. It's just common courtesy IMO

hat a lot of intolerant judgy pants comments going on here today!

It's ok to be intolerant of other people's anti-social and rude behaviour. It's actually a good thing.

MissDolly The point is a lot of them DON'T listen to them quietly, they have them blaring away!

Anti-social and rude behaviour is subjective though and in my humble opinion this really isn't high up on that spectrum.