Fine ‘headphone dodgers’ if you will, but to really tackle antisocial behaviour, Britain should look to Japan | Emily Bratt

Politics The Guardian By Emily Bratt 24 Oct 2026 10:00 1 min read
Fine ‘headphone dodgers’ if you will, but to really tackle antisocial behaviour, Britain should look to Japan | Emily Bratt

Working in Japanese schools, I saw how teaching young people civic pride creates adults with consideration for others There are two types of people who listen to music in public: those who wear headphones and those who … are a word I probably can’t use here. “Loudcasting” – playing audio, watching videos or talking on speakerphone in public spaces – is a form of antisocial behaviour that drives eight in 10 of people in the UK crazy, and I’m glad Andy Burnham is one of those eight. But while I we

There are two types of people who listen to music in public: those who wear headphones and those who … are a word I probably can’t use here. “Loudcasting” – playing audio, watching videos or talking on speakerphone in public spaces – is a form of antisocial behaviour that drives eight in 10 of people in the UK crazy, and I’m glad Andy Burnham is one of those eight. But while I welcome his policy to fine “headphone dodgers”, I’m not convinced it will solve the problem.

This behaviour isn’t only a nuisance, but a grave indicator of a deeper societal issue: the erosion of empathy. You can’t legislate civic pride into an individualistic culture where feelings of social disconnection are widespread.

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