Toy Story 5 vs. Screen Time
I heard the new Toy Story movie had a Smartphone Free Childhood vibe. That of course caught my attention. So I took my kids to the cinema on a hot summer day: popcorn, drinks, relax chairs and air conditioning.
I have great childhood memories of Toy Story (1995), where Woody fights tech in the shape of a flashy new toy called Buzz Lightyear. Now, in part 5, the fight is against a tablet device named Lilypad. That device quickly becomes the attention thief for Bonnie, an 8-year-old who isn’t able to make friends in the real world.
She’s given the tablet by her screen-addicted parents in a desperate attempt to help her socialize. This, for me, is the crucial part. The sign of our times, or should I say the sin of our times? In almost every scene featuring adults, they're holding phones or staring at screens. Wake up, people.
When Woody unplugs Lilypad’s charger, he says something along the lines of: without electricity, everybody wakes up fully charged. (Translated from Dutch, not sure about the original quote.) That’s not only funny, it’s sad as well because it’s so true.
I really enjoyed the movie and I consider it a great boost for the Smartphone Free Childhood movement. The moment has come to change our norms around smartphones and social media.
Just like in the original Toy Story, the old and new toys find a way to coexist. In the end, the fight is not against tech. It isn’t about switching off new technology; it’s about recognising what’s best for our kids (and ourselves). Now let's act on that.