"Phone Parents" Can Put Their Children's Lives at Risk
Nationwide, swimming pool managers and operators are grappling with a problem: parents who spend long periods staring at their smartphones and neglecting to supervise their children. A training provider suggests taking action - which has already been implemented in many places.
Swimming pools are increasingly facing issues with parents who are distracted by their smartphones and not adequately supervising their children, according to an expert. As a result, pools have reportedly imposed one- or multi-day bans in various locations, said Eric Voß, training manager of the German Swimming Pool and Bathing Association. He advises warning unobservant "phone parents" once and banning them from the pool if the behavior continues. This is covered by the pool staff's house rights.
Voß mentioned that such bans have been implemented in places like Mönchengladbach, Leipzig, Freiburg, and Worms. He noted that this problem has been escalating in the past two years. "It's not just a matter of five minutes. The child is with the swimming instructor for three-quarters of an hour and no one notices they're missing."
"This can be a matter of life and death for the children," Voß said. Children can drown in a very short time. A complete ban on phones in the pool is not feasible, as "we wouldn't have any customers left." However, pools do encourage parents to leave their phones in their pockets and accompany their children into the water through flyers.
Previously, Michael Dietel, spokesperson for the Hamburg-based pool operator Bäderland, had raised the alarm about parents' increasing focus on their phones. Lifeguards have to intervene around ten times a week to prevent children from drowning because they have wandered into deeper water unnoticed by their parents, often due to the parents being distracted by their phones.
The issue of parental distraction due to smartphones during swimming lessons has led to the implementation of phone bans in several cities, such as Mönchengladbach and Leipzig. To address this concern, pool operators are encouraging education and responsible parenting, rather than a complete phone ban.
Addressing the escalating issue of parental distraction, pool operators are emphasizing the importance of active supervision rather than relying solely on technology for child safety. This shift towards education and involvement underscores the critical role of parents in ensuring their children's safety while swimming.
