UK bar owner block phone signal to patrons

The BBC reported that a landlord in Sussex, UK has covered the ceiling and walls around his bar with silver foil and copper wire mesh to block mobile phone signals. Not because he is a conspiracy theorist who thinks the government is trying to get inside his head, but because he wants to block cell phone signals in an attempt to encourage face-to-face conversation.

Steve Tyler told the BBC that he is fed up with his patrons being glued to their cell phones.

“I’ve seen it progressively get worse and worse and I thought, I want to stop this, I want people to socialize with the people they are with rather than people they are not with,” Tyler said.

Tyler says the response has been positive, but it would annoy me. I admit that I am addicted to my phone, and if I want to patronize his bar and be on my phone, why would he want to stop me?

If this is such a good idea, why did he need the idea to begin with? Why can’t people just not use their phones at bars if they don’t want to? They only thing he needs to worry about is whether or not I pay my tab. If we’re missing out because we’re stuck on our phones, that is our choice.

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