Bonnie is a fun, imaginative eight-year-old girl, but she is also shy and has a difficult time making friends. To remedy this, Bonnie’s parents decide to buy her a tablet. Instead of helping Bonnie make friends, however, the tablet only causes her problems. Bonnie faces all of the troubles that we see young people encountering through devices and social media today: screen addiction, mindless scrolling and tapping, sleep deprivation, FOMO (fear of missing out), and cyberbullying. It is truly heartbreaking to see this happen to a girl who was always so sweet and happy. Many of us have seen the same happen to the young people in our lives. We’ve previously noted the negative effects that technology has on us. Physically, it increases eye strain, lack of sleep, and obesity. Emotionally, it causes loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Technology—especially social media—makes us angrier and opens us up to harmful content. Now consider how strongly these things would affect children who are still innocent and developing. Bonnie’s parents thought they were helping their daughter to make friends. Instead, they introduced her to the many ills that can accompany technology.
The Importance of Play
The toys of Toy Story know nothing about the negative effects of screens on children, however. They just don’t want kids to forget how to play. Just as screens have many harmful outcomes for kids, play is the opposite, being very important for the healthy development of children. Play helps kids develop mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally. It helps them to learn, observe, and explore. Play aids kids in building and managing relationships. It teaches them how to make and enforce simple rules among themselves and how to resolve basic conflict. Playtime for children is so much more than having fun and keeping them occupied; it lays the foundation for many of the skills they will need to face the world as adults.
What Do We Do?
Tech is everywhere, though. We can’t possibly avoid it completely. So what do we do? Let’s offer some helpful tips on navigating technology.
For parents
If your children don’t have devices yet, hold strong! Delay allowing them devices as long as you can. As with anything, it helps to find other like-minded people to encourage and support you. Your children won’t feel like they’re weird or missing out if they have friends who also do not have devices. This will encourage them to play and attain all the benefits that go along with it. And once your children reach the age where you feel it’s important for them to have a device, such as a phone, get them a “dumb” (non-Internet) phone. Take advantage of parental controls so you can monitor or restrict their usage. Just remember that, ultimately, you are the true parental control, not any software or app. You gave your child the device and you can easily take it away.
If your children do have devices, set healthy limits and boundaries. Yes, it may be hard and feel like a battle, but it is worth it. Make a rule that devices can only be used in common areas, never bedrooms. Have designated screen-free times, whether it’s dinner time or family nights. Most importantly, you must model this for your children. Not only are the kids of Toy Story 5 glued to screens, so are the adults, whether it’s for work or to alleviate boredom. If your kids see you constantly on a screen, they will learn to do the same. Let your children see you reading a physical book or newspaper, or simply leaving your phone down for a long period of time. And remember: the more time you spend actively engaging with your kids, the less time they will be on a screen.
For students
If you are a young person with a device, strive to develop self-control. Train yourself to go without your phone for a long period of time. Leave it in your car or in the other room. Turn off unimportant app notifications or delete some apps altogether. Encourage your friends to do the same and ask them to hold you accountable. Seek out screen-free activities. The longer you go without a screen, the more you’ll realize you can live without it.
Conclusion
Toy Story 5 offers a clear warning to parents considering getting devices for their children or those who have already done so. The negatives far outweigh the positives, and allowing children access to devices at too young an age can have many harmful outcomes. It is understandably hard when it seems all the other kids have their own devices and we don’t want our children to feel left out. But parents’ responsibility is always to do what’s best for their children. Short-term disappointment is better than any long-term harm that devices may cause, as the tantrums, anxiety, loneliness, and depression that Bonnie experiences in the film are very real effects of social media and screen use. We need to protect the younger generation and help them to rediscover the real world, free play, and true friendships.