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'Oh No! Awful Poster': Hospital Sign About Using Phones Around Babies Divides Parents

YEOVIL, England (CBS Local) -- A British hospital set off a debate on social media after it placed posters in its neonatal unit urging parents to look at their babies, and not their phones, while feeding.

Staff at Yeovil District Hospital in Yeovil, England, placed posters in its Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) that read: "Mummy & Daddy . . . Please look at ME when I am feeding, I am much more interesting than your phone!! Thank you xxxxxx"

Printed on the poster was a photo of a mobile phone circled with a red line struck through on one side, and a baby on the other side.

Ash Cottrell shared his image of it on Twitter, writing "I'm on SCBU with my five-day-old. This poster makes me sad..."

Hundreds of people responded. Most were critical of the poster.

"Yea babies are much more interesting than our phones but we also need advice or support or connect with other people when feeling very lonely in hospital," Aimee Feltham tweeted.

"Gosh, that I so wrong of them to suggest it's 'bad parenting.' Phones are a lifeline to well wishes, normality and so much more when you have a newborn / are in hospital," JulieThompsonDredge wrote.

"Oh no! Awful poster. I was in SCBU with a five day old and my phone was a lifeline. I was isolated and frightened (we'd been readmitted) and my phone meant I could stay in touch with people and read up on what had happened to us," Daisy lots of Daisies wrote.

But others tweeted support for the poster.

"The poster is actually spot on. Time to put the phone down. Your baby needs you!" Janice Macaux tweeted.

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