Walked into a local diner and noticed nobody was talking to each other

Harper Murphy · 2026-05-03T14:15:05.319202+00:00

I stopped at Mel's Diner on Route 9 last Saturday for breakfast. Every single person under 30 had their phone out on the table, scrolling while they ate. Has anyone else seen this shift in public spaces over the last year or two?

susan_bell5mo ago

Is it possible that the older folks just don't notice anymore because we're just as bad at looking down at our own phones? I caught myself doing the same thing at a diner last month and had to put my phone in my purse. Maybe the real problem isn't teenagers or technology, it's that we've all gotten used to eating alone even when we're sitting with other people. Nobody even knows how to start a conversation without a phone anymore because we've lost the habit.

4

ryan3695mo ago

Watched two teens at IHOP take selfies for twenty minutes without eating a bite.

3

grace_gonzalez465mo ago

My friend saw two teenagers texting each other from across the same diner booth.

2