I’m sick of ‘shrill’ kids screaming on my cul-de-sac – it’s better than screen time but they should still know better
A WOMAN shared her frustration over children screaming while they play near her house.
She also explained why the “shrill” noise can make parents less alert to dangers.
In a post on Mumsnet, an unnamed user described how she felt “fed up of children running and screaming.”
The homeowner revealed that the children who play near her house are old enough to know better.
“These children are about eight to 13 years old,” the woman wrote in her post.
She explained that the children, some of whom are sibling, are always “running in the middle of the cul-de-sac.”
The woman pointed out that by this age, children do not need to be screaming all the time.
“Some toddlers go through a phase where they discover their voice and decide to do high pitch squeals,” she said.
“This is the time for their parents to say: ‘Don’t do this,’ nip it in the bud as they say.”
She also added that constant screaming can make it difficult to tell when there’s actually something wrong.
“It’s Peter and the Wolf with the screaming,” the poster wrote in the comments section.
“Normally, you only heard screaming if someone is being attacked.”
Mumsnet users were divided on the take, with some pointing out that children playing outside is better than being glued to screens.
“Surely it’s nice they’re outside playing together instead of being stuck in front of the TV?” asked one reader.
“Better than sat indoors on screens,” agreed another commenter.
“Children playing outside in the fresh air, call the police or at least social services now,” joked a third person.
On the other hand, some people agreed with the poster’s frustrated take.
HEALTH RISKS OF SCREEN TIME
THE screens of our phones, TVs and computers improve our lives in many ways, but there can be too much of a good thing. Science now shows Britain's technology obsession is damaging our health.
Most of the harm is because screen time is sedentary, meaning we barely move our bodies when we are watching or scrolling.
Spending too long sat still eventually leads to weight gain and obesity, which are the driving millions of Brits into health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and dementia.
Here are half a dozen studies that show screen time can damage our health at any age:
- Children who spend too much time watching iPads and TVs at higher risk of mental health problems
- Tots learn fewer words if they are glued to a screen
- Kids at risk of type 2 diabetes if they watch too much TV
- Couch potatoes double their risk of dying young
- Five hours per day on social media trebles adults’ depression risk
- Smartphone addiction keeps a third of us awake at night
“If we screamed, we were told to get back indoors, but now it seems that some parents let their children do this and it’s fine, regardless of how much it disturbs the neighbours,” wrote one Mumsnet user.
“Drove me nuts, thank God the children two doors down are now adults!”
“Playing loudly is fine. Screaming not. Parents need to tell them how to behave,” agreed another person.
“My parents explained to us that screaming was only for serious emergencies like being assaulted/ kidnapped or at risk of serious injury or death,” said one reader.
“Screaming isn’t necessary to have fun.”