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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder about the government warning to our phones.

353 replies

TarasHarp55 · 21/03/2023 17:29

Does anyone know much about this emergency warning thing on our phones. Can't remember the exact day but in April they're going to test it out. Is it fear mongering again. I'm going to switch it off, anyone else.

OP posts:
Itsbytheby · 22/03/2023 09:36

You know it's a test, why would it scare you. It makes sense to have a system to warn people of things in a genuine emergecy, I don't know why you are against that.

Harlxox · 22/03/2023 09:38

Hey mums! What did your baby measure at the 12 week scan? I had mine on Monday, was only 11 weeks 1 day (thought I was 11 weeks 5 days) and although baby refused to stretch out the whole time, it measured at 7.1cm! Is this normal? Is it too small? Should I be concerned? X

CaroleSinger · 22/03/2023 09:39

Lifelessordinary1 · 22/03/2023 09:10

Omg i can see the fear mongering has worked already i cannot believe what i am reading - are people really that scared???

But obviously this isn't going to stop at weather and flood alerts. Eventually it is going to be used to warn of imminent attacks and will cause mass hysteria. I'd rather not know if I'm about to die because there's nothing I can do about it anyway. In the current climate where two superpowers appear to be forming an unholy alliance hosting state visits just a few countries away from us, I think severe weather and tsunamis are the least of our worries here in the UK.

premicrois · 22/03/2023 09:44

@Itsbytheby

You know it's a test, why would it scare you. It makes sense to have a system to warn people of things in a genuine emergecy, I don't know why you are against that.

I'm not sure who you are asking but I will answer anyway.

I'm not scared of it. I'm aware that I need to take steps to minimise any reason where I may be hyper vigilant, it's a horrible state to live in, so I am opting out of the potential alarm because it's invasive, can happen at any time etc

That doesn't mean I don't want the information it brings, just that I don't want to be on edge because that information could come at any time with a siren on my phone.

I would be happy to receive these by text, again I switch noise notifications off, so that wouldn't leave me with the same feeling.

Itsbytheby · 22/03/2023 09:50

premicrois · 22/03/2023 09:44

@Itsbytheby

You know it's a test, why would it scare you. It makes sense to have a system to warn people of things in a genuine emergecy, I don't know why you are against that.

I'm not sure who you are asking but I will answer anyway.

I'm not scared of it. I'm aware that I need to take steps to minimise any reason where I may be hyper vigilant, it's a horrible state to live in, so I am opting out of the potential alarm because it's invasive, can happen at any time etc

That doesn't mean I don't want the information it brings, just that I don't want to be on edge because that information could come at any time with a siren on my phone.

I would be happy to receive these by text, again I switch noise notifications off, so that wouldn't leave me with the same feeling.

In a genuine emergency a text, with notifications switched off, won't do much good.

premicrois · 22/03/2023 09:57

In a genuine emergency a text, with notifications switched off, won't do much good.

That's ok, I'm not suggesting this is how things are done, just an example of how I would happily receive the actual information, just not the siren/alert part. That said, on a personal level I would see a text, I'm not going to be getting an alert.

allibaby · 22/03/2023 10:06

premicrois · 22/03/2023 09:19

I don't want them so have opted out. It's about managing my condition so I am not in fear.

I don't think anyone is saying they are scared of them, just that they don't want them. And that's entirely reasonable.

Show quote history

Yes this exactly.
I see on this thread if you have a different opinion to some you are labelled a conspiracy theorist or scared.
We've managed up until now without these alerts but I have no problem with anyone who wants to receive them.
It is entirely your choice.

toomuchlaundry · 22/03/2023 10:19

@allibaby things move on, technology changes and improves.

When you see the news reports on Ukraine and you can hear the sirens go off occasionally. Our air raid system was decommissioned years ago so don’t have that ability to issue a warning in that way. Not that I am suggesting we are going to get bombed any day soon! But some countries have had an emergency warning system in place.

Now many people have mobile phones this is an ideal way to put out alerts.

Other countries manage without sending out spurious warnings so hopefully our Government will to

allibaby · 22/03/2023 10:23

toomuchlaundry · 22/03/2023 10:19

@allibaby things move on, technology changes and improves.

When you see the news reports on Ukraine and you can hear the sirens go off occasionally. Our air raid system was decommissioned years ago so don’t have that ability to issue a warning in that way. Not that I am suggesting we are going to get bombed any day soon! But some countries have had an emergency warning system in place.

Now many people have mobile phones this is an ideal way to put out alerts.

Other countries manage without sending out spurious warnings so hopefully our Government will to

I respect your opinion but I'm of the opinion it is not needed and is just scare mongering.
I also don't see the point of making someone's phone unusable until they acknowledge the alert.

PurplePineapple1 · 22/03/2023 10:26

It's interesting, I think, how quickly the language returns to that used during the pandemic. Anyone who questions this is sneerily dismissed as a 'conspiracy theorist'.

PurplePineapple1 · 22/03/2023 10:28

I also don't see the point of making someone's phone unusable until they acknowledge the alert

Control. The government have decided that you may not use your phone until you acknowledge the alert you didn't ask for. But don't question that, or you're to be dismissed as a tinfoil hat wearer.

toomuchlaundry · 22/03/2023 10:31

@PurplePineapple1 or maybe it’s to check it worked!

704703hey · 22/03/2023 10:38

PurplePineapple1 · 22/03/2023 10:28

I also don't see the point of making someone's phone unusable until they acknowledge the alert

Control. The government have decided that you may not use your phone until you acknowledge the alert you didn't ask for. But don't question that, or you're to be dismissed as a tinfoil hat wearer.

Ah, I didn't know that. Just for the test run, or every single alert?

Tryingtokeepgoing · 22/03/2023 10:44

DogInATent · 22/03/2023 09:15

The only thing people on the thread seem to have fear/anxiety about is the concept of receiving a warning.

Show quote history

It’s not fear of receiving warnings, rather mild bemusement at the point of them in the UK isn’t it? A slight overreaction to assume that any questioning of the purpose is a result of fear or anxiety. I quite like living in a country where we are free to question and challenge…

toomuchlaundry · 22/03/2023 10:52

What about flood warnings? What about the town where the dam nearly burst.

Better to have something for a just in case moment.

Spent many years in education/work did various fire drills but never had an actual fire

purser25 · 22/03/2023 11:07

During the war sirens went off, they were still there years after the war. You have flood sirens and fire drills, it is just a similar thing.

DoraSpenlow · 22/03/2023 12:51

Dear God talk about a mountain out of a molehill. If you don't want it turn it off.

Have been to the US a lot and found it useful. It only happened three times. Once was a warning of a child abduction and a vehicle to look out for, once was a warning of a huge landslide following torrential rain which was very helpful because it allowed us to reroute and the third time was for a rapidly spreading forest fire so again we could avoid.

Technology moves on and it is just a more modern way of getting information out there.

Original poster
TarasHarp55 · 22/03/2023 13:02

I'm old enough to remember back in the 80s and the air raid siren would sometimes go off, presumably testing. But we didn't know that and I remember being petrified, and thinking of my children at school....

.If the government decide to test this, maybe even in the middle of the night it's enough to give some people a heart attack. So I'm either going to disable it or switch my phone off at bed time.

We've been through enough fear lately.

OP posts:
Lifelessordinary1 · 22/03/2023 14:12

premicrois · 22/03/2023 09:19

I don't want them so have opted out. It's about managing my condition so I am not in fear.

I don't think anyone is saying they are scared of them, just that they don't want them. And that's entirely reasonable.

Show quote history

Eer that what i was saying - its a completely ridiculous idea - i cannot believe people are that scared of nuclear war/earthquake, terrorist attack that they think this is needed

GyozaGuiting · 22/03/2023 14:25

I just can’t get worked up about this! It’s a text message, which may, in the future, as happens in many of other countries. Prove helpful to you.
I think it’s helpful to know of flood/storm/missing child/defence notifications/missing fugitive!
I had them when I was in the States, it had no impact on my life, I wasn’t ‘controlled’.

toomuchlaundry · 22/03/2023 14:29

@Lifelessordinary1 many people have given other examples of how they could be used

premicrois · 22/03/2023 14:32

GyozaGuiting · 22/03/2023 14:25

I just can’t get worked up about this! It’s a text message, which may, in the future, as happens in many of other countries. Prove helpful to you.
I think it’s helpful to know of flood/storm/missing child/defence notifications/missing fugitive!
I had them when I was in the States, it had no impact on my life, I wasn’t ‘controlled’.

It's not a text message.

GyozaGuiting · 22/03/2023 14:37

@premicrois is it communicated through interpretive dance? Tsunami could work well in that medium.

premicrois · 22/03/2023 14:42

GyozaGuiting · 22/03/2023 14:37

@premicrois is it communicated through interpretive dance? Tsunami could work well in that medium.

I don't fully understand what you are trying to say here, sarcasm of some sort?

I just commented it's not a text message, because it's not a text message.

If you have something to say about that can you make it a bit more basic for me please?

Conkersinautumn · 22/03/2023 14:42

Just think of all those thoughtless cheats with those second phones that will go off.