Public spaces work best when everyone is considerate of others.

The following story is about a man who was enjoying dinner with his dad when diners at the next table started blasting their phone at full volume.

He tried to call the staff’s attention, but even they didn’t want to step in.

He eventually confronted the other diners and also gave them a taste of their own medicine.

Let’s take a closer look!

AITA for asking someone if they had headphones

My dad and I got dinner around 4:30 PM today.

We sat at the outdoor patio that was next to a main road.

We chose to sit outside because it was stuffy inside the establishment.

The road noise was manageable, thanks to all of the plants covering the patio.

This man noticed a couple at the next table, watching videos on their phones.

We sat across from a couple. The man was watching short-form videos.

These included TikTok and Instagram Reels.

It seemed like the volume was at full. It was loud enough to hear over the road noise.

Mind you, the girl he was with had AirPods in.

They were both watching their own short-form videos and were eating from their shared plate.

He asked the person at the other table if he had headphones.

I went inside to ask the server if they felt comfortable asking him to turn it down.

They did not feel comfortable. When I got back to my table outside, I saw him on Instagram.

He was scrolling from one reel to the next. That is when I asked him if he had headphones.

He gave me attitude. It was as if I was inconveniencing him by asking him to put them in.

I was asking him to turn that off, basically.

He gave them a taste of their own medicine.

He said he did not have headphones, then continued to watch his short-form videos.

He did lower the volume. I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.

I opened Instagram. I watched my own short-form reels.

I did this for less than one minute.

Then, I heard him say, “OK, it was not that loud.”

He said this to the girl he was with.

Now, he’s wondering if he was in the wrong.

Am I the jerk for telling him to be mindful and for asking him to put headphones in?

I was honestly shocked to see that level of addiction from people in their 20s.

Not only is it disrespectful to the person you are eating with, but you are being a nuisance to those around you.

This is just because you cannot put the phone away.

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.

And yes, the toddler at another table needed an iPad set up for them to eat. Greater than, less than.

Just because they were in a public place doesn’t mean they shouldn’t respect other people.

OP was polite to ask them to turn down the volume, but they were too inconsiderate to listen.

So, I guess, giving them a taste of their own medicine was justified in this scenario. Don’t you think?

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a betting shop employee who is asked the dreaded question “don’t you know who I am?”

Let’s check out the comments of other people on this story.

Short and simple.

This user shares another petty revenge idea.

Here’s a personal thought from this one.

This person gives their honest opinion.

I would not leave any tip, says this user.

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.