As a parent of five, I have experienced the deleterious effect of screens on the child mind. A mere 30 minutes a day of screen time on the “kiddie tablets” someone gifted my children for Christmas yielded behavioral problems that warranted a swift crackdown on screen usage. Consequently, when the trailers for the latest entry in the Toy Story franchise introduced a fictional children’s tablet called “Lilypad” as the film’s antagonist, I was sold.
Tech addiction is real, and more and more data shows that children’s developing brains are harmed by screen and app use. Although I usually dislike overt cultural messaging in children’s entertainment, I was prepared to commend Disney and Pixar for tackling this particular issue head-on. However, as I said on my podcast during my reaction to the film’s first full trailer, I could see the filmmakers ultimately chickening out and coming to some fence-straddling message of “Yes, kids should still play with toys and go outside, but spending half their time on tech is fine too.” No, it isn’t. But yes, it appears that’s exactly the message the movie is set to land on….
Cole Powell is an arts and media commentator and award-winning singer/songwriter from Jayess, Mississippi, USA, with degrees in computer technology, liberal arts, and theology. Host Random Reactions, Words Like That, and Film Nerd by Night. https://colepowell.net