Kick them out of the theater. If it's too much "trauma" then it's time to go home and re-evaluate your life. For real.

Lmao I literally have to check my phone and text right now because of….*rolls dice* COVID trauma.

The irony of invoking COVID during this debate, when not only were theaters a great way to contract that disease, but the same degree of selfishness on display here is one reason why it persisted as long as it did.

I used to go to alamo drafthouse, where they absolutely will kick people out for being disruptive. I think the other theater near me is similar.

I haven't gone to the movies in a while because of covid and then unemployment, but I don't think I'd go to a basic theater if I did go.

Terminally online people are amazing...

In my experience phones are exacerbating trauma more than soothing it, I type from my phone

Going to the movies is recreational. If you cannot participate without disturbing the other patrons, do not go at all.

Yes, it sucks when you have a mental issue that makes it so you cannot enjoy something you want to. That doesn't entitle you to lessen everyone else's enjoyment.

I have extreme light sensitivity and ADHD. A phone screen is like a lighthouse in a theater

My hometown theatre had people taking selfies with the flash on. You couldn't get them kicked out.

I sit in the back just to throw popcorn at phone screens

These are the people who are literally going to go feral when they break their phone for the last time and can't afford a new one, when there is some kind of power or internet brown or blackout.

Industrialized society as we know it is breaking down, and these people are literally hopelessly addicted to and dependant on their phones.

People tend to freak out, be a bit high strung, during withdrawls.

Oh, right, and we can also see here that they seem to be just actually mentally incapable of abstracting to the point of realizing that their actions can cause negative effects to those around them.

But they are very good at rationalizing excuses for themsleves and avoiding any accountability for their actions.

And... thats them with their fix.

Like I said, feral.

That excuse doesn't work on me. Put your phone away or go home.

Yeah, you tell them... Ganondorf, King of Evil?

I will publicly call you out if you turn on your phone more than once during a movie.

Ask more ice with your drink. To throw towards the cold hearted people that don't care about others trying to enjoy the movie.

People using their phones is pretty far down the list of things that make me avoid movie theaters.

This is obviously egregious insanity, but we must be diligent about not becoming reactionary toward discussion of trauma and mental illness.