Many families have their own rules around mobile phone usage. Whether its a limit on screen time for kids, or a rule of no phones at the dinner table, it's a personal choice for parents to make.
However, one holidaymaker on a Carnival Cruise Line ship has taken umbrage with the cruise line's attitudes towards policing passengers' use of technology while on board - and the company has responded to their 'horrified' reaction to the rules.
The passenger claimed that 'families are being let down' by the lack of a mobile phone ban in particular areas of a Carnival Cruise ship after they holidayed on the Carnival Dream.
'No phones and no tablets at the dinner table'
The cruise passenger emailed Carnival's Brand Ambassador, John Heald, to slam the technology habits of other passengers, insisting that the cruise line - which entertains millions of holidaygoers every single year through its fleet of 27 ships, bringing in a revenue of $21,000,000,000 - enforce stricter rules on the matter.
In summary, they thought they were better than the other passengers for not allowing their children to use their phones and tablets at the dinner table.
"My children are ages seven, 11 and 15. We are a good Christian family," they said in the email, which Heald posted on Facebook while anonymising the sender.
"We do not allow them to take their phones or tablets to the dining room for any meal. We have the same rule at home. We do not buy the internet package so no one uses them to call or text.
"There is a no technology rule when we cruise together. I am horrified that we seem to be the only family on the Carnival Dream who have this rule. We are there to spend time together."
They continued: "In my eye Carnival should enforce a no phones and no tablets at the dinner table at least. Carnival should set a precedent that would set Carnival apart from other cruise lines. Seeing families all on their phones at dinner is appalling.
"My children have been raised correctly. They never ask for their phones or tablets on a cruise. I make sure I’m not on my phone in front of them too. It’s so important for children to communicate verbally, learn eye-contact and feel like they’re listened too. Carnival is letting families down by allowing this."
'It's not for us as a cruise line to decide'
Heald's response on behalf of Carnival was that it's a personal matter for individuals to decide, and that policing the dinner table rules of its passengers wasn't on Carnival's to-do list.
"Thank you and I do hope you are had a wonderful cruise," Heald said.
"Parenting is never easy and with respect it is also a personal thing and not for us as a cruise line to decide if children should be allowed to use their electronics in the dinning room.
"I know as a parent myself it is hard to take a child’s smartphone especially once they get used to having it all the time. I know that personally and having tried to shove that genie back in its bottle and slammed the barn door behind that bolting horse.
"For some parents it is easier to get a child to eat a plate full of kale.
"I wonder then what your thoughts are on this? iPhones and iPads I think remain generationally divisive."
Carnival community reacts
While the complainant might have expected more people to agree with their stance on tech at the table, the community were very much not on their side.
"I am really not sure about how not using technology at a dinner table makes you a good Christian," one person wrote.
A second said: "Parenting is a personal matter. It is a safe bet the original complainant would not want to be told how to raise her kids so she should give the same consideration to other parents."
And a third added: "Where do these post really come from? Phones at the table is us sharing photos from the day with each other, looking at activities together, kids checking out kids clubs and choosing events to go to.
"This is our time to connect with each other. How we do that is no one else's business. Tell the judgmental person to stay home."
Encouraging families to spend less time on their phones while on holiday, and more time interacting with eachother, might be more of a radical idea than it seems - but the consensus is that it's a personal choice, and not a rule for a multi-billion dollar company to enforce.
Topics: Social Media, US Food
Rachael Davis