Woman on Flight Asks Fellow Passenger to Take Away Toddler's iPad; She Answers, 'Sorry But No'

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock photo of a toddler using a digital tablet.Photo:Getty

Getty

A woman is igniting conversation online after asking a fellow passenger to put away their toddler’s iPad — because, she said, it was bothering her own child, who was told he couldn’t use his device while traveling.In a post shared anonymously toReddit, an unnamed passenger shares that they were on a flight with their 3-year-old daughter when they noticed “a family sitting across from us with a kid that looked about the same age.““The little boy noticed my daughter’s iPad and was trying to get at it and started crying when the mom told him no,” the poster writes. “My daughter and I both put on headphones and were just blocking it out.“But it didn’t stop there.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Stock photo of a toddler on a plane.Getty"The woman got my attention after a while and said that they weren’t allowing their son to use his iPad on their vacation and would it be okay if my daughter put hers away,” the poster adds.The poster continues: “I said I was sorry but no. The kid cried most of the flight which was about 2 hours. The parents kept shooting me dirty looks which I just ignored.“Now, the poster wants to know if they were in the wrong for continuing to allow their daughter to use her iPad.But overwhelmingly, Reddit commenters say theothertoddler’s parents were the ones in the wrong.“If they don’t want their kid to use a tablet on their vacation, they need to be prepared for meltdowns like this while he develops the ability to understand that other people will have different rules and experiences than he will,” one commenter wrote. “I feel for them, I know how hard it is to travel with a cranky toddler, but that’s simply not a reasonable request to make of a stranger.“Another commenter echoed that sentiment, writing, “When traveling with young children, you have to be prepared with a variety of activities and snacks. If you don’t want them to use an iPad, then you better have something else to keep them occupied.”

A woman is igniting conversation online after asking a fellow passenger to put away their toddler’s iPad — because, she said, it was bothering her own child, who was told he couldn’t use his device while traveling.

In a post shared anonymously toReddit, an unnamed passenger shares that they were on a flight with their 3-year-old daughter when they noticed “a family sitting across from us with a kid that looked about the same age.”

“The little boy noticed my daughter’s iPad and was trying to get at it and started crying when the mom told him no,” the poster writes. “My daughter and I both put on headphones and were just blocking it out.”

But it didn’t stop there.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Stock photo of a toddler on a plane.Getty

“The woman got my attention after a while and said that they weren’t allowing their son to use his iPad on their vacation and would it be okay if my daughter put hers away,” the poster adds.

The poster continues: “I said I was sorry but no. The kid cried most of the flight which was about 2 hours. The parents kept shooting me dirty looks which I just ignored.”

Now, the poster wants to know if they were in the wrong for continuing to allow their daughter to use her iPad.

But overwhelmingly, Reddit commenters say theothertoddler’s parents were the ones in the wrong.

“If they don’t want their kid to use a tablet on their vacation, they need to be prepared for meltdowns like this while he develops the ability to understand that other people will have different rules and experiences than he will,” one commenter wrote. “I feel for them, I know how hard it is to travel with a cranky toddler, but that’s simply not a reasonable request to make of a stranger.”

Another commenter echoed that sentiment, writing, “When traveling with young children, you have to be prepared with a variety of activities and snacks. If you don’t want them to use an iPad, then you better have something else to keep them occupied.”

source: people.com