Movie theaters are meant to be a distraction-free experience, but not everyone follows the rules.

What would you do if someone in front of you kept using their phone during a movie, even after being asked to stop?

Would you get an employee?

Or would you find a quiet yet effective way to make them stop?

In the following story, one moviegoer finds themselves in this very predicament, and what they did may be a little controversial.

Let’s take a look.

AITA for poking at someone’s screen at the movie theater?

I’ve seen posts about this kind of stuff on this sub, like throwing popcorn at phone users and being thrown an empty cup of coffee for using their phone in a movie theater, but this is different, so I need advice.

A woman in front of me started to use her phone excessively.

I wouldn’t mind if she used it to check the time, but it looked like she was texting.

After what felt like 5 minutes (probably only a minute), I bent down and whispered to her it was distracting.

She put it away, then pulled it out again after a bit to use it for a while.

I bent down and started poking around her phone, not knowing what I was poking at because it’s none of my business, I was just poking at it. I didn’t do it for a full second because she immediately put it down and said, “What the ****??”

She just couldn’t resist pulling it out again.

I heard a person say, “Shhh”.

The second time she pulled out her phone, I did it again. She never pulled her phone out again.

I didn’t care because if she reported this, either we’d both be out, or she would, because she would be outing herself.

The only way a stranger can poke at your phone is if you have your phone out.

I thought the way I handled it was quiet, I told her once that it was distracting, she was the one who pulled out her phone, but at the same time, I did put my finger on her belonging, which is why I’m here.

AITA?

This is a very awkward situation.

Let’s see how Reddit readers feel about what they did.

These people dealt with their distraction quietly.

Great point.

This is one way to look at it.

Excellent advice.

He shouldn’t try this again.

It worked well, but it definitely crossed a line he shouldn’t cross.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.