# Kid screams nonstop for 8-hour flight **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2018, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982 "2018-02-17T06:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/101 "2018-02-20T03:55:47Z")
I’d venture that this is a long-standing problem since the mother was fairly calm. I still have doubts about the veracity of this. Yes, clearly the child was screaming at some point. Given the number of people standing each time you actually see video and not just audio of the child in question, I tend to believe this was mostly filmed pre take off. I can’t imagine any country’s equivalent of the FAA would allow take off without all passengers buckled in. I have trouble believing that everyone was exiting so calmly with no comments at the end. We have NO backup that this went on for eight hours. In all the stories I see about this video, I have yet to see any other passenger corroborate it. The audio appears to be the exact same screaming each time. The videographer clearly has a message about children and technology. He asserts that this behavior is due to children relying on the distractions of internet and movies with no evidence to back it up. I taught emotionally disturbed children. I’ve seen screaming like this. Forty five minutes, tops. I simply do not believe that a child can carry on at this level for eight solid hours. The vocal chords wouldn’t hold up, dehydration would set in, and sheer exhaustion would take over before too long. The kid’s got problems, no doubt. Obviously, part of the story is true. But I want to see some other accounts of this flight. Until then, I remain unconvinced. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/102 "2018-02-20T05:55:02Z")
But what about the other passengers – I believe they spoke about it too, didn’t they? ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/103 "2018-02-20T06:09:32Z")
Where? ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/104 "2018-02-20T06:37:52Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I think all you can do to get through it is tell yourself that the kid is probably being taken for life-saving medical treatment that he couldn’t receive at home, even though it’s probably really just a visit to Disneyland. Why in the world would anyone come _to_ the U.S. _from_ Germany to receive life-saving medical treatment? I mean, unless you’re a millionaire who can afford the world’s premiere surgeon specializing in your condition and they happen to be in the U.S., coming from a system with universal health care paired with supplemental private insurance, to the shit-show we have here, makes no sense at all. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/105 "2018-02-20T06:47:09Z")
Look at the correlation between the auditory and the visual aspects of the video. It looks to me like they don’t match. The auditory part of the video during the portions that claim to be over the last six or seven hours of the flight seem to be continuous, not stopping at the places where it changes from one hour to the next. It doesn’t look to me like the video was actually filmed over all eight hours. Also, just as the news stories about this video are all from the past six days, all the comments on the video are from that period. Something seems fake about this video. Until someone who knows something about this flight other than having watched this video discusses what happened, I don’t seem any reason to trust its claims. Trying to diagnose this child on the basis of this video is a waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/106 "2018-02-20T06:52:02Z")
> [@BeeGee](#): > > Where? That’s what I’m asking. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/107 "2018-02-20T08:35:21Z")
> [@AI\_Proofreader](#): > > Why in the world would anyone come _to_ the U.S. _from_ Germany to receive life-saving medical treatment? I mean, unless you’re a millionaire who can afford the world’s premiere surgeon specializing in your condition and they happen to be in the U.S., coming from a system with universal health care paired with supplemental private insurance, to the shit-show we have here, makes no sense at all. Off topic, but it does happen, mostly for experimental treatment. There’s a local family in my area of the UK fundraising for their kid to get surgery in the US at the moment, as there’s currently only one place to get it, being a new treatment for a rare condition. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/108 "2018-02-20T08:41:56Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > (And no, I’m not saying he should’ve been spanked. But doing nothing isn’t the answer either) And your experience with autistic or emotionally disturbed children is \_\_\_\_\_\_? What advice do you have for that mother? What is going to magically cure him? > [@BeeGee](#): > > I taught emotionally disturbed children. I’ve seen screaming like this. Forty five minutes, tops. I simply do not believe that a child can carry on at this level for eight solid hours. The vocal chords wouldn’t hold up, dehydration would set in, and sheer exhaustion would take over before too long. > > The kid’s got problems, no doubt. Obviously, part of the story is true. But I want to see some other accounts of this flight. Until then, I remain unconvinced. At one of the kindergartens where I teach there have been a number of autistic or emotionally disturbed children. I’m not expected to have to deal with them once they get set off. One of the Taiwanese teachers will. Unfortunately, it’s a regular kindergarten and the teachers don’t have specialized training for these kids. Taiwanese kindergartens are three years, so the children start off at three. The teachers aren’t allowed to hit or spank the children, but they will often slap hands or pinch. Watching this attempt to punish the kids when they get set off is extremely frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/109 "2018-02-21T08:02:40Z")
Okay fine. Then you think it’s okay to let the kid run all over the plane, climbing on seats, and putting other people at risk? :dubious: I understand that the kid is autistic, but as I said, what happens if he knocks something over, pushed open the overhead compartment etc. What happened if someone had gotten hurt – possibly a child? What then? Do you think they should just accept it, because the child may have autism? I’m not being sarcastic, I’m genuinely curious. The way I saw it, climbing all over the place like he did could have resulted in someone getting hurt. Look, I feel for the kid. I just don’t think it’s right to put other people at risk of injury. Do you? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/110 "2018-02-21T09:26:05Z")
Don’t blame the kid blame the mom. If he was gonna scream like a wild feral child he would be doing it strapped in. IMO. If you had a pet outta control you would be expected to rein it in, why not your untrained/undisciplined child? ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/111 "2018-02-21T19:49:58Z")
What mystifies me is that this is not a very small child. He’s way big enough to be reasoned with. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/112 "2018-02-21T20:27:43Z")
That does not in any way look or sound like a normal meltdown to me, particularly given the length and the fact that it’s consistently bad from before the flight begins to after it ends. My son once kept up a tantrum for 3 hours, and that was considered a potential marker for a psychiatric disorder. When I took him to the pediatrician she indicated that abnormally long and violent tantrums often indicate an issue and had me keep records of his tantrums for 6 months afterward. Apparently psychiatric evaluation is recommended if your kid’s tantrums last longer than 25-30 minutes, though I’m sure an airplane is an extenuating factor, so could make a normal tantrum worse. Of course, knowing that wouldn’t make it easier for me to sit 8 hours on a flight with a screaming kid. Plus, seeing the kid climbing on the seats and running up and down the aisles scared the hell out of me. I’ve taken my kids to India and back at similar ages, and the most either of them did was cry for maybe 20 minutes (when they were under 5) and ask me to take them for a walk up and down the aisles. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/113 "2018-02-21T20:33:57Z")
> [@Eclipse\_Chaser](#): > > What mystifies me is that this is not a very small child. He’s way big enough to be reasoned with. 'Hey, kid. Sit down and shut up or we open the door and kick you off the flight." ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/114 "2018-02-21T22:04:49Z")
Don’t they reroute planes and arrest people for less than this? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/115 "2018-02-21T22:39:00Z")
Another thing – his mother just said “behaverial problems” – she didn’t say autism necessarily. Perhaps it’s something like say, Oppositional Defiance Disorder? Would that have made a difference in how to deal with him? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/116 "2018-02-21T22:42:16Z")
[quote=“vivalostwages, post:1, topic:808982”] If you haven’t seen it yet, you might not want the volume up too loud. This little boy screamed throughout a flight from Germany to New Jersey. That’s eight hours of hell for the passengers and no intervention whatsoever from mom. [/QUOTE] The video has been taken down for some reason. I found copies of it all over the intarwebz but the link in the OP no longer works. ---
**Author:** ![StraightTalk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straighttalk/32/9982_2.png) [@StraightTalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StraightTalk)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/117 "2018-02-23T21:05:39Z")
There is practically zero reason anyone has to travel by plane. If you can’t control your child, perhaps you shouldn’t be on the plane. Perhaps you shouldn’t take plane trips with your child until they can respond to instruction and control themselves. “Because I want to travel overseas” is no reason to subject fellow passengers on the plane to constant suffering at the hands of (and lungs of) your child. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/118 "2018-02-23T22:38:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Another reason I am glad that I had a vasectomy. > Best $400 I ever spent. Your vasectomy keeps kids on planes with you from screaming? I wish I could get one. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/119 "2018-02-24T02:11:35Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Everyone that is making comments against the parents can burn straight in hell for all I am concerned. I had it happen to me with my daughter on a flight back from France to Boston. She screamed the entire time on an overnight flight when she was barely 2 years old. I did everything possible to get her to stop but it just didn’t work. . The Captain should have turned the plane around so your daughter could get the medical attention she needed. Same thing for the child in the video. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982/120 "2018-02-24T02:21:36Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Your vasectomy keeps kids on planes with you from screaming? I wish I could get one. ☹ It just gives me great relief that it is not my child. I sleep at night, the dog I can let out to the back yard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-screams-nonstop-for-8-hour-flight/808982.md?page=7)