The Sandy pub under fire for replacing playground with iPads

A popular Melbourne beachside pub has come under fire for ripping out its children’s playground and replacing it with an iPad station, with one parent labelling the move as “ridiculous” and encouraging kids to sit in front of screens.

The Sandringham Hotel has replaced the children’s playground with an iPad station.

A popular Sandringham pub has been slammed for ripping out its children’s playground and replacing it with an iPad station.

The Sandringham Hotel, also known as The Sandy, recently revamped its dining area and removed the play equipment, replacing it with multiple screens free for children to use.

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A Highett mother-of-two, who did not want to be named, said she was “disgusted” the eatery had introduced the iPads.

“My first thought was ‘This is disgusting, is this how the next generation has become? That the kids can’t even sit for dinner?’,” she said.

“I’ve never taken my kids out and shoved an iPad in front of them, I’d rather hire a babysitter and leave them at home.”

She said her family had been going there for years and her children had spent hours at the indoor playground.

“I know a playground doesn’t suit everyone. I’m not sure why it was taken out, maybe it was dangerous. But Jesus Christ — there’s more danger in technology,” she said.

“When I grew up we never had that and half the time there wasn’t even a playground.

“I didn’t let the kids use them while we were there, but there were kids using them and they were glued to it.

“Even if they had a big TV with a movie playing and all the kids could sit around — that would have been a better option.

“This is a ridiculous option.”

She said the rest of the refurbishment looked “fantastic”.

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The Sandy manager Erson Carbajosa confirmed that during the dining area refurbishment the playground had been removed and replaced with an iPad station.

He said it was ripped out in a bid to “get new customers”.

“We’ve had people complaining about not having a kids’ area but things change,” Mr Carbajosa said.

He said the iPads were well-used and although there had been complaints about the removal of the playground, they hadn’t received any regarding the iPads.

“Look, we’ve got colouring sheets if they don’t want the kids to go to the iPad station, they’ve got options.”

When asked if the iPads had restrictions in place Mr Carbajosa said it was an “open portal — pretty much just games”.

Child and adolescent psychologist and cyber safety expert Jordan Foster said for businesses to offer iPads without limiting access to certain content was “abhorrent”.

“I don’t agree with it, but playgrounds are so expensive that iPads are a more financially feasible option for commercial businesses,” she said.

“It’s abhorrent to allow it not to be monitored. It’s unacceptable and a liability. If you’re going to offer teenagers and children access to technology it’s (the business’s) responsibility to ensure that device is safe, it’s not expensive to do,” she said.

“I think that we as customers need to be vocal about what we expect, we are spending money at these places and should be offered the right facilities that are child-friendly — an iPad is just a cop out.”