Debate Over Woman's Rant About Crying Babies on 'Expensive 10-Hour Flight'

A woman who asked parents to "please stop bringing crying babies on flights" in a now-viral video on TikTok has sparked debate online.

On August 8, Steph, who uses the handle stephinto on TikTok, shared the video which has since received more than 450,000 views and thousands of comments.

@stephinto

I hate when people tell me that i should have kids and it wouldnt stop me from travelling, this is exactly why i wont be having kids because i want to travel in peace yet i cant because of others babies #kids #flights #babies #cryingbabies #expensiveflights #traveltiktok #travel #planes #fyp

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Upset over children on flights is nothing new and more people have been calling for adult-only flights as a result of crying children during their journey.

A survey of over 3,000 travelers found that 60 percent said they have been disrupted by a child on a plane, while 64 percent said they would like to see child-free areas on planes.

Fourteen percent said that they thought children should be banned from business class, but more than half of these people said they would rather book a child-free flight if it was available.

As a child cries in the background, Steph films herself on the flight and the text overlay reads: "For the love of God, please stop bringing your crying babies on flights. This was an expensive 10-hour flight and reinforces I won't be having kids."

She's not alone in the decision not to have children, either. According to the Pew Research Center, more Americans say they are unlikely to ever have children for a range of reasons from economic uncertainty to climate change concerns.

Forty-four percent of non-parents aged 18-49 say it is not too or not at all likely that they will have children someday. The majority of non-parents who say they won't have children cite that this is simply because they don't want kids, but around 17 percent say it is for financial reasons and 9 percent say they would not have children due to the state of the world.

Baby crying and woman frustrated
A stock image of a baby crying on a flight, left, and a file photo of a woman covering her ears on a plane due to the noise, right. A woman's reaction to a baby... AndreyPopov/PRImageFactory/Getty Images

The TikToker has hundreds of followers on her account where she shares her solo travels around the world, and the video caption said: "I hate when people tell me that I should have kids and it wouldn't stop me from traveling. This is exactly why I won't be having kids—because I want to travel in peace yet I can't because of other's babies."

But the video sparked debate online, with over 7,900 comments people shared their thoughts and feelings about children on flights.

"I truly think they would create adult-only flights like they do with resorts," said one commenter who agreed with Steph.

Another commenter said: "I'm a mother and I totally agree! Nothing worse than screaming kids the entire flight."

"This!" said another reply. "If you're gonna bring a kid, make sure it can handle the flight and not scream through. If it can't then wait 'til it can before flying."

But others were quick to slam the traveler, suggesting her anger was unfair. One reply said: "Believe me, the parents also don't want the baby to cry, they are already stressed out and doing everything they can to make the baby quiet as soon as."

Another commenter wrote: "Yes 'cause imma just leave my child behind... Bring some earphones that's it..."

"I live about a 10-hour flight from my home country and have two kids," said another reply. "So yes I will take my kids on planes and have them travel with me."

Newsweek has reached out to stephinto for comment. We were unable to verify the details of this case.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more

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