Loud Ipads/ phones being used to entertain children in restaurants

[SilverDoublet]

I was in a restaurant recently, I don't often get out and was out with my son aged 6 while waiting to collect my older child. Our food had just arrived when we noticed some very annoying loud noise coming from the table next to us, sounded liked people shouting and screaming. It was hard to relax and eat with the noise. It turned out it was a child watching YouTube while eating. I politely asked if the parents could maybe turn it down a little and was told no, that unfortunately the child can only eat while watching a screen. Was I being unreasonable to ask to turn it down a little?

It’s asshole behaviour for ANYONE to be watching / listening to something through the speakers and not earbuds in public full stop. I also believe phone calls on speaker phone should be an invitation for everyone to join in.

I’m same as you ., not something I would encourage with my own kids and their kids but as I couldn’t give a shiny shit about how others bring up them up, kids glued to screens don’t bother me one iota.
However, I certainly don’t expect to hear Bluey at full volume etc so headphones are a must.
you need to talk to firmly and persistently to the waiting staff/manage in future not the parents tho so they can address the issue and ensure you and fellow diners are not disturbed.

I always tell people to turn the volume off.

I have had this on every flight I’ve been on recently - iPad on with the volume on - argh!

I have young children and am not averse to using an iPad to distract them - but everyone else doesn’t need to listen to it…!

I will let my 4 year old watch his tablet at a restaurant (we only go to them when we are on holiday or a special occasion so maybe 4-5 times a year) he has a very short attention span and won't sit and colour/read etc he just wants to run off and explore so i let him watch but I always make sure it's on the lowest volume so we don't disturb people

Actually, you do!

If you are paying for an experience being ruined by others, you do have the right to request that the cafe/restaurant owner shuts down the bad behaviour that is ruining the experience. If they won’t, you walk out.

And the more that this kind of gentle lazy parenting is called out, the less we should experience early (and continuing) antisocial behaviour - that’s what this is!

We taught our children table manners from the point at which they were able to eat at the table, and did not tolerate any shouting, screaming or watching tv while a meal was in progress. Going to a cafe or a restaurant was an event that we prepared them for - as in - you have to be on your best behaviour. Our DC were often complimented on their behaviour by other diners, and we were just pleased that we as a family had not ruined someone else’s outing.

And that small act of consideration for others is what everyone in society should be striving for. It’s the Social Contract - not “dictating” - as a society, that’s what the majority expect!

He should be wearing headphones. It’s really antisocial to subject other people to the noise of a tablet, regardless of how low you think the volume is

Are you serious?

You think people in a restaurant should put up with other people watching TV?

If you can't stop your kid shouting and screaming, then sadly, you have to avoid restaurants. You cannot impose your issues on other people.

Why don't people get their kids head phones? I just don't get it, it's happening more and more in restaurants and on flights and trains.

I'm not bothered at all by people using tablets to entertain kids when they have to sit quietly for a good while, but don't expect everyone else to have to hear it too.

No, we'd all rather they wore headphones.

I would have approached the manager and if they still hadn’t turned it down left the restaurant. Restaurants need to have a firm policy and not take any flack from entitled customers, and don’t start mentioning Sen - my dd is autistic and my dsd had profound disabilities, dsd does love the iPad but not at the table, we managed just fine before they were invented even those of us with sen children

No. No volume at all. Use headphones. If your kid can hear it others can hear it - artificial sounds like this are very hard for the human ear to tune out.

No headphones, no volume.

On a recent flight we had a family with volume on, I offered them politely but firmly a spare set of headphones (sealed in pack from a previous flight) they got the hint and turned the sound off immediately but refused the headphones (not sure if they had their own or just used it without sound) . My dc did tens of thousands of air miles (lived overseas) as little ones without tech as it hadn’t been invented

Are you really the kind of person who doesn’t know how to behave unless there’s a law about it?

And then whine about the nanny state?

I think it's incredibly sad that so many kids don't seem to be able to survive without their eyes glued to a screen.

BUT I'd rather listen to a YouTube video than a kid having a screaming meltdown so as the lesser of two evils I'd live with the tablet noise.

If your child is having a screaming meltdown in a restaurant, you pay and leave immediately. As a parent of a child with special needs I’ve done it multiple times. It’s totally unacceptable to let them just scream the place down. And iPads are fine. iPads without headphones only in your own home.

I cannot believe some people are so arrogant and entitled this needs to be explained to them!

Not everyone wants to hear someone's shite viewing or music, use headphones it's quite simple.
If kids are shouting and screaming, ND reasons aside then that's down to bad parenting.
I've got 3 kids ND and no way were they allowed to running around to annoy other people trying to enjoy their meals, in family friendly restaurants. If you are okay with kids running loose go to McDonalds. The rest of us want decent food in a better environment.

Some of us used to entertain our kids with toys and colouring books in restaurants. The next generation are fucked.

Bad parenting over here as I do use YouTube for my kids when out eating! Although we do rarely go out to restaurants as I know it’s probably not an enjoyable experience for them. I don’t have the volume on loud so it’s no louder than people talking at the next table. My kids wouldn’t be able to sit still otherwise (not so much that they’d cry or scream)
it personally doesn’t bother me if other people use devices at a low level. i think everyone has their own idea of what’s annoying. I find people that talk very loud annoying and have wanted to move tables purely because of how loud people were! But I certainly can’t ask them to turn their voices down.
If the noise is loud enough to disturb you then fair enough, but I don’t see a problem with low level videos if it’s the only thing that keeps a child occupied. I don’t do it for the whole time we’re out. Just when they start to become really restless and other things don’t work. I think there are restaurants that don’t really give child friendly vibes either so I wouldn’t go to those with my toddlers. More casual places, pubs etc. I can’t think of anything worse than sitting in a high end restaurant with my kids at this age!

And he has a short attention span because...?

What's the point of going out to eat if you are not going to talk to one another?

No wonder kids arrive at school with poor vocabulary.

Who says we don’t talk to each other? You are just presuming that all parents who allow their kids to use devices in public are bad, lazy parents. However one of my children is autistic and very speech delayed so admittedly his conversation is limited but he does interact in his own way. My 2 year old never shuts up and has the same vocabulary as my 6 year old! Who is really bright and top in his class for everything other than sports! So I’m not concerned at all about them starting school with poor vocabulary thanks. My autistic child though yes but not because I allow him to watch nursery rhymes every so often. So feel free to judge me but get your facts right.

No hesphones, no volume! I guarantee someone else can hear it and it’s setting their teeth on edge. If your kid can hear it so can someone else, and it’s much harder for the human ear to tune out artificial sounds that natural ones.

Turn the volume OFF!!

Grim.

Drives me mad when they don’t have earphones on.
re hyper kids I don’t understand why more restaurants done have ‘family’ areas either. Then the parents can relax a little if their kids make a bit of noise and they won’t be disturbing other diners who want a peaceful meal.