Kid's 4-Hour iPad Viewing During Flight Sparks Debate

Life & Trends Reporter

TikTok footage of a youngster staring at an iPad on a plane while apparently monitoring its flight time and route has had 6.7 millions views, and provoked a debate about child behavior.

So Newsweek consulted experts to try to explain the intense focus of the child, who is not identified.

The viral TikTok video posted by @nikitastakeeta on April 6 only reveals that the plane was flying over New York City, apparently heading for John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Mystified, the poster overlaid on the clip: "Ipad kid in front of me didn't play any shows or games. He just stared at the stopwatch and flight map the whole time and when his parents noticed, he said 'I don't trust this plane.'"

The footage shows a view of what appears to be an iPad showing a timer past the four-hour mark. The camera briefly flashes to a plane window to the side of the seat, which shows a night sky, before the clip ends.

@nikitastakeeta
always check the work
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While there is no evidence to support the claims, some TikTok users speculated that perhaps the child has autism. And the comments on the post illustrate how difficult it might be to understand the kind of behavior presented by the child.

So Newsweek consulted experts to analyze the clip and to explain as much as they could from the short video.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental phenomenon that often means people "have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests," notes the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "It is important to note that some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms."

Sarah Whitmire is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in Texas with expertise in working with neurodivergent clients with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and more. She told Newsweek that it's important to approach the latest footage "with sensitivity and a recognition of the complexity of human behavior."

She warned that "while it's certainly possible that the child in the video is autistic, it's also possible that the child's behavior could be indicative of other concerns or issues, such as anxiety." So, "this short clip doesn't provide nearly enough information to make a diagnosis," she noted.

Whitmire added that ASD is characterized by challenges with social communication, as well as by restricted and repetitive behaviors.

Those with ASD "may indeed exhibit unique behaviors or intense interests in specific subjects, including things like maps or schedules. These interests can provide comfort, predictability, and a way to manage sensory input in environments that might otherwise feel overwhelming," the LPC said.

Ivy Chong is a licenced psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst-doctoral (BCBA-D) in Maryland, specializing in the assessment and treatment of those with ASD and developmental disabilities. She told Newsweek: "While it is possible that the child's intense focus may be an indicator for ASD, it could also be an indicator of some other diagnosis.

"Without meeting the child and additional context along with his or her psychoeducational history, it is impossible to say there is a medical diagnosis. For example, if this is the child's first time on a plane and they were feeling uneasy, this could also be their way of managing anxiety, etc.," said Chong, who is the chief clinical officer at Little Leaves Behavioral Services.

The child in the latest viral video is certainly not alone in any anxieties he may potentially have about traveling on a plane.

According to a June 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology, a fear of flying was found to be prevalent among around 10 to 40 percent of the industrialized world.

It's not surprising that many travelers do get nervous about flying, as clear-air turbulence (CAT) was found to have increased over the past 40 years, according to a June 2023 study published in Geophysical Research Letters.

The study found that the increases were largest over the U.S. and North Atlantic, both of which are busy flight regions.

According to the study, "severe-or-greater CAT increased the most, becoming 55 percent more frequent in 2020 than 1979" and CAT is "projected to intensify in response to future climate change."

'What Does He Know?'

The latest video has sparked discussion among users on TikTok, with several intrigued by the child's behavior.

Pace said "I wanna watch the world through this kids eyes," while Ale Domeier wondered "What does he know?"

User meganja2322 wrote: "if he don't trust it, I ain't trusting it either."

"I mean someone has to monitor the plane …," noted @rando_n, while be normal said "y'all never stared at a clock in class before?"

User morgan wrote: "put him in a meeting with a pilot, co-pilot, air tower operator and ground crew member and the best conversation in the world would happen."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.