“You lot need to find peace”: Brave train rider approaches people who use speakerphone in public

It’s one thing to hear a passing conversation while commuting. It’s another when someone decides to blast their music or hold a full-on phone call on speaker.

Confronting loud commuters

In one clip, she’s seen talking to a man playing music out loud. “Are you new to London?” she asks him.

When he replies that he’s been there seven months, she continues: “I heard your music, like cool South Asian music, is that right?” After confirming, she gently adds, “It’s just like, in London generally, we don’t play the music out loud on the trains and things. But I love a bit of Bollywood, I do.”

She ends the interaction by introducing herself and reminding him to use headphones next time.

Her next video took on a different situation. She approached a woman who was speaking on her phone through the loudspeaker.

“I don’t know if you know your headphones weren’t connected,” she says, “because I heard your phone call on the speaker.”

The woman replies that she doesn’t own headphones and didn’t mind the whole carriage hearing.

“You don’t care? Oh, just like I was thinking on the couch, I might hear you, and I just didn’t want people to hear your conversation,” the TikToker responded before wrapping it up with a polite goodbye.

Train etiquette in London

Commuting norms in London are famously unspoken but well-enforced.

Keeping music or calls private through headphones is standard, while anything loud—be it a phone call, music, or even a rowdy conversation—tends to draw glares.

Transport for London doesn’t explicitly fine people for loud music, but “consideration for others” is included in its guidance for using the Underground and trains.

@freethinkerhan
Confronting anyone. Public order must be enforced. Just nicely
♬ original sound – freethinkerhan

Not everyone agreed with her methods. “I’ve never seen gentle parenting done this well,” one person joked.

Another thought her tone was “slightly patronising,” suggesting a simpler approach like, “Any chance you could just lower your music a little, please, mate?”

Others, however, praised her. “You done this so well… people forget about cross culture and cross communication,” one commenter wrote. On her second video, someone said, “She thought you were looking out for her—she’s not fluent in British passive aggression LOL.”

But there were critics too. “You lot need to find peace, meditate, and not let yourself be this bothered… this isn’t so different from two people having a normal conversation in public,” another user argued.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @freethinkerhan via TikTok direct message.