Actually LH is the only airline I know who makes a serious and credible effort in telling children off and admonishing parents to administrate and control what they produced. And I appreciate it very much. Even the Japanese carriers are not as disciplined as LH.

And while ADD and just generally terrible kids sporadically occur anywhere, they are produced and pampered in Asia. If someone lets their brats scream around in the lounge or provides their 2 year old with a blaring DVD player and no headphones (as did a {ethnic reference removed by moderator - unnecessary to make poster's point} family recently in the SEN lounge on VIE), they are regarded as enormous sphincters.
But here people do this in concerts, cinemas, lectures ... why should a child that can barely grunt a few words not operate a cell phone during a late night movie screening? After all the whole world has to gyro around the terminally spoiled heir.

So is it a surprise that this happened on that route and that carrier and that neither management nor FAs could care one dime? Absolutely not.
Japan is the one glorious exception indeed.