- Parents who are not careful about their cell phones: Expert advises ban on bathing
Swimming pools are increasingly facing issues with parents who are distracted by their smartphones and not adequately supervising their children, according to an expert. Nationwide, pools have already imposed one- or multi-day bans, said Eric Voß, training director of the German Swimming Pool Association. He advises, during his training, to warn "inattentive 'phone parents' once and, in case of recurrence, to ban them from the pool. This is covered by the house rights of the staff.
Previously, the Bild newspaper had reported such cases from swimming pools in Hamburg. According to the expert, who trains pool staff nationwide, there have also been such bans in Mönchengladbach, Leipzig, Freiburg, and Worms. Problems with distracted parents due to their phones have been increasing for about two years, he said. "It's not about five minutes. The child is with the swimming instructor for three-quarters of an hour and no one notices they're missing."
"For the children, it's a matter of life and death," he said. Children can drown in very short periods. A complete ban on phones in the pool is not enforceable. "Then we wouldn't have any customers left." However, pools do advertise in flyers to keep their phones in their pockets and accompany their children into the water. The German Swimming Pool Association, based in Essen, represents around 1000 pool operators in Germany.
- To ensure the safety of all swimmers, especially the children, pool staff should strictly enforce the rule of parents keeping their phones in their pockets and actively supervising their children.
- The increasing number of incidents involving distracted parents using their phones around children in swimming pools highlights the need for stronger pool regulations to prioritize child safety.
