# Britain should pair fines for loud public audio with civic education

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/fine-headphone-dodgers-if-you-will-but-to-really-tackle-antisocial-behaviour-britain-should-look-to-japan-emily-bratt/
- Published: 2026-10-24T10:00:30+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-24T10:32:17+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/24/headphone-dodgers-antisocial-behaviour-britain-japan
- Topics: Asia, Business, Entertainment, Music, UK, World

## Key points

- Fines alone are unlikely to stop loud audio in public.
- Bratt points to Japanese schools’ focus on shared responsibility.
- She calls for enforcement and renewed civic education.

## Summary

Emily Bratt argues that fines for people who play audio aloud in public may help, but will not solve antisocial behaviour on their own. Drawing on her experience living and working in Japan, she says Britain should also teach civic responsibility and rebuild social norms that encourage consideration for others.

Bratt describes Japanese school pupils helping to clean and care for shared spaces as part of their education, reflecting the principle of avoiding inconvenience to others. She says Japan’s public spaces are generally clean and crime rates comparatively low, while acknowledging that Japanese society has its own flaws. In the UK, almost half of people play phone content without headphones, and the proposed fines would need to be enforced by safety officers or police; Bratt also calls for etiquette education, including in schools.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.