To wonder if using iPADs on planes without headphones is now acceptable?

[policeandthieves]

2 recent flights both with lots of small children on board as holiday destinations and different sets of parents entertaining them with iPads (fine in itself) but volume blaring - is this now acceptable? i asked one guy very politely if he could just turn it down a little and he gave me a look like I was a child hater. Flight home different parents same thing - I just put up with it.
Do people think this is now Ok. I hadn't been on a 'holiday' flight for a while and there are not lots of small children on business type destinations so maybe I'm just out of the loop now my kids are a bit older. Saw a few with headphones though so some people seem to think the noise is unacceptable.
Hadn't really seen Peppa Pig much before but now think I could do it on Mastermind!

No it's awful! And I say this as someone with two kids, who takes them on planes. No one else should have to put up with it!

It is antisocial and thoughtless.

No, it’s only acceptable if you’re a selfish twat. They should have headphones. If there’s more than one child you can get a splitter to put multiple headphones in.

I hate to be the first to roll out the kids with SEN example but DS can only wear headphones for a short amount of time due to sensory issues, but a tablet is probably the only thing that would comfort or distract him during the stress of takeoff or being in an enclosed space for a while.

To be fair there have been several times I’ve told him on trains etc either he uses the headphones or the tablet goes off, then some adult gets on and sits watching Netflix loudly nearby so I don’t think it is just a kid thing these days

I would be equally annoyed with an adult and would like to think I would be understanding of kids who are clearly distressed - this wasn't the case the parents were just oblivious.

YANBU. On both our flights this summer there were kids in front on us and behind us with cartoons/films/games blaring out. I find it awful and adds to my anxiety which ramps up when flying. Our kids know that it’s either headphones or volume right down when using the tablet.

No it's awful. I always say something

Where I live (Asia) people watch tv shows on their phone, no headphones, at very high volume on the buses. They also play video games (with sound on) and watch music videos, again at full volume. Very irritating!

Oh this grips my shit!

They are part of the "my child is on holiday fuck you" brigade.

I had this on holiday too. On the plane, on the coach transfer at 3am, at breakfast in the hotel dining room. One of the family's with the tendency yo share peppapug episodes with everyone also had a tendency to allow their holidaying little darlings to run up and down the hotel corridor shrieking (playfully not crying) at 6.40 in the morning. They also let their kids press every single button in the lift so it stopped on every floor.
But it's ok because their little darlings were on holiday!!

About as antisocial as it gets I'm afraid. SEN or not, I'd be furious.

Nope not on.

Ds is autistic and relies on his iPad, one rule I have been firm with is that anything with sound on if other people are around he uses his headphones. Some things are non negotiable!

OP I was away for work recently and staying in a hotel near a safari park, so lots of families at breakfast, every morning multiple competing blaring tablets. I was horrified. Firstly don't have a four course breakfast and sit there for an hour, while your children are desperate to get to the Safari park, and if you do, talk to them or give them earphones, oh and don't let them throw things all over the floor, run around a restaurant and not tidy up after them. Sorry for the rant, it was just really bloody annoying so I feel your pain!

I think people are just getting increasingly more rude and selfish everywhere.

Glad its not just me being a miserable old bag then

YANBU although the very first time we flew, we didn’t have any headphones as never had to use them before and it didn’t cross our minds!! Eek. But since then it’s headphones all the way. Eldest with SEN has never kicked up a fuss to be fair.

It's not acceptble, but as with many other things, that doesn't cut much ice with the small "entitled" minority whose personal comfort/convenience trumps everyone else's.

I hate this as well. So antisocial and selfish. I go to slimming world and every week there are at least 2 or 3 children watching cartoons in the meeting without headphones. It's really distracting.

We were on a train 3 hours last week and again, near a child watching cartoons with no headphones. I didn't book into the quiet coach because I had my children with me, who actually were quiet. I just didn't know the etiquette of going in the quiet coach with children. It was nearly unbearable to listen to that child's tablet blaring for so long in an otherwise very quiet train. I feel it's becoming acceptable unfortunately.

I was just going to sleep on the plane and the boy behind me put his iPad on. I very politely turned round and asked him to turn it down which he did, straight away.

He was about 7 and I thanked him, sincerely. And went to sleep

It really annoys me and is so rude of the parents. If my children forget their earphones - they are not allowed to have their sound on on their iPad, and if its a 12 hour fligh,t that's a shame but its unfair to everyone else.

I think it is becoming more common, I don't get why. My dc always wear headphones or have it on silent it's just antisocial not too. Dc are sometimes going to louder than adults as they are dc but the adults around them shouldn't deliberately set them up to be so.

I hate to be the first to roll out the kids with SEN example but DS can only wear headphones for a short amount of time due to sensory issues, but a tablet is probably the only thing that would comfort or distract him during the stress of takeoff or being in an enclosed space for a while.

If someone said “I’m really sorry but...” and explained, I’d be fine about it. It’s the parents who simply don’t want to upset their child and think everyone else should also pander to them that are twats.

Sometimes it’s unavoidable or the least worst option.

I make dd (2yo) wear headphones or watch on silent on planes ect.

It makes me want to start picking the offender with a walking stick whilst ranting about yoof of today

No it's not acceptable. If my two children 11 and 7 want to use their iPads on the plane then they must wear their headphones. I don't think it's fair that ever else on the plane nearby to them have to listen to what my children are listening to.

I think it's happening more and more. The one I am noticing with increasing irritation is people on trains having their entire conversation on loudspeaker - I don't think I have been on a train without at least one person doing this for about 3 months.