Passenger Caught On Video Fighting 4-Year-Old Over Airplane Window Shade — Which One Was Right?

Two passengers were caught on video fighting over an airline window shared. Which one was right?

A man sitting in coach on a widebody jet is sitting at his seat, watching Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) while a child reaches back to push the window shade up. The passenger keeps pulling it down, and trying to keep it down. They go several rounds of hand‑versus‑hand in a shade tug‑of‑war between this man and a “4 year old” in the next row.

He had to fight a 4 year old to kepe his window down during the flight pic.twitter.com/AJNHjpLAgf

— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) November 7, 2025

It looks to me from the seatback entertainment system that this is an Emirates Airbus A380, but some of you will have greater certainty.

Most people watching the video seem amused, and sympathetic to the kid – they just want to see the world, and they’re amused by how persistent the child is. There’s really not the usualy outrage in online ecomments, the way I’d expect. Where’s the kid’s parent(s) while this is happening..?

I like an open window as much as possible, unless the sun is shining through the window so brightly that it interferes with screens. I don’t like flight attendants who require window shades to be closed on daytime flights from Europe to the U.S. since I never sleep on those flights and I find them less draining when I have light. But there’s not a lot I can do on a Boeing 787 when they control the shades, or when crew come around scolding passengers who open thei

There are (6) principles of airplane window shades:

1. Shades up for takeoff and landing. That’s so everyone’s eyes are well-adjusted to the light, in order to facilitate evacuation in an emergency.

2. The person at the window has control of the shade. If you’re in the window seat, you decide the position the shade is in.

3. Flight attendant direction trumps. On modern widebodies window shades may be electronic and can be locked into position. A crewmember may decide all shades will be down, for instance, to accommodate passenger sleep. You may think you have control rights because it’s ‘your’ shade (usufructuary rights) but confrontations with cabin crew over this will not end well.

4. Avoid blinding light. That’s especially the case on overnight flights and on early mornings. Traveling across time zones means that even though it’s “night” for people on board who may want to sleep, that doesn’t mean the sun isn’t shining where you are physically.

5. Accommodate your neighbors. If someone asks you to put the window shade down (or up) consider accommodating you, especially if they have a strong preference and you do not. Don’t just arbitrarily do the thing they object to, or object to moving the position of the shade for its own sake.

6. Close the shades before getting off the plane when it’s especially hot at your destination. That will help keep the aircraft cool for the next group of passengers during boarding.

The window seat passenger owns the window, and passengers in their own row own that row’s window shade. Period. If I’m the passenger (and good heavens if I’m flying Emirates coach), I’d ask the parent “Could you help keep hands/feet on your side of the row? I’m keeping the shade down to see the screen.”. Then I’d call a flight attendant for help. What I wouldn’t do is wrestle a kid through the wall. Ask the parent once, then get a crewmemeber.