Source: The Conversation – Canada
The Toy Story franchise is well-loved globally. One reason for its popularity is the core themes of joy and connection through play that resonate with children and grown-ups.
In the past four films, Toy Story has explored themes of friendship, overcoming challenges and navigating what it means to mature. While these themes remain central in the fifth instalment, the movie also tackles the pertinent issue of children’s technology use, which includes tablets, phones, computers and televisions.
As psychology researchers who study child development and play, we see Toy Story 5 as an opportunity to examine what research tells us about the roles of play and digital technology in children’s lives and how parents can support a healthy balance between them.
The importance of toys and play
Throughout the movie, viewers see Bonnie’s pure and simple joy as she creates a whole world with her toys. As viewers, such scenes warmed our hearts, and while this may be part nostalgia, research is clear that imaginative and interactive play is important for children’s healthy development.
Children need face-to-face interaction, often best facilitated by play, to learn prosocial skills such as communication, co-operation and problem solving.
Interactive peer play is also especially important in promoting children’s social and emotional competence, which supports their ability to establish and maintain relationships. These clear, well-established benefits of play can become disrupted when technology enters the mix.
‘The age of toys is over’
However, Toy Story 5 begins with an unsettling introduction. Jessie and Bullseye are confronted by an array of discarded toys in the neighbours’ garden. They claim that “the age of toys is over.” The two toys climb to the top of the house and watch in horror as every other house in the street is filled with small faces glued to screens, all except one: Bonnie’s.
This reality of screen-focused kids is supported by data: more than half of children under five exceed the recommended screen time guidelines for their age, according to a review of English-language studies covering more than 89,000 children (almost half of the samples were drawn from North America). Similarly, half of children under eight in the U.S. have their own tech device, and figures in Canada are comparable.
Too much screen time, particularly for young children, can have a negative impact on language and communication development, learning and peer relationship development by reducing how frequently children engage in enriching play interactions.
Read more:
Screen time predicts delays in child development, says new research
The complicated story of connection and tech
Yet it’s worth remembering that technology is not all bad. Although screens can displace the kinds of face-to-face, imaginative and active play that support children’s development, they can also help some children connect.
This is where Toy Story 5 offers a more nuanced story than “toys good, tech bad.” After Bonnie receives a tablet from her parents, it appears to offer what she has been missing: a way into peer connection. But her tablet use takes over her play while providing little genuine connection.
The film also shows that simply being near other children while using devices does not necessarily create meaningful interactions or relationships. Connection depends on how technology is used, whether children are using it together or alone, and whether adults help to support shared, playful and prosocial experiences.
Used thoughtfully and with appropriate guidance, digital tools can support collaborative learning, peer interaction and social connection. For some neurodivergent and marginalized children, online or screen-mediated play and connection may also reduce pressure, offer a familiar environment and create opportunities to find others with shared interests.
The challenge, then, is not necessarily to choose between toys and digital technology, but to protect the developmental benefits of play while helping children use technology in ways that support, rather than replace, connection.
How to encourage a healthy balance
Suggesting any kind of complete removal of tech is unlikely to be realistic or practical for most families. There are plenty of resources available that can help parents achieve a balance between technology and play. Here are three ideas of how you can start.
Set an example — The film shows how easily technology has slipped into everyday family life, with adults often reaching for their phones during ordinary moments. But children learn not only from the rules adults set, but from the habits they model. Putting devices away during conversations, meals, play and moments of distress helps show children relationships sometimes need our full attention.
Create a play “diet” — Ensure your child has a balanced “diet” of guided screen time, physical play, time outdoors, a creative outlet, peer and collaborative play and other suitable sedentary downtimes, such as playing board games.
Something that can help with this balance is creating a family media plan. A balanced approach can support children’s holistic development, learning and promote physical and mental health.
Don’t be afraid to mix tech and toys — Toy Story 5 concludes with a blend of imaginative toy play featuring technology integrated with toy play. Yes, there is reason to be skeptical of this depiction, given lucrative Toy Story branded experiences and merchandise, including a preschool toy tablet that could act as a bridge to additional branded tech products.
Read more:
Toy Story 5’s ‘Lilypad’ is an indictment of the world that birthed the ‘iPad Kid’
Nevertheless, parents should know that with oversight and limits, you can encourage device use that enhances your child’s interactions by fostering collaboration and communication.
It’s important not to let guilt overwhelm us. We all use technology, whether it’s to connect, relax, work or read news articles.
But it’s good to remember that ultimately, there is no real replacement for connecting with each other in real life. Remember to take a moment and look up from the screen, lest you miss the stampede of 50 Buzz Lightyears riding through your home.
Natalie Kirby receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Audrey-Ann Deneault receives funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Original source: https://analysis1.mil-osi.com/2026/07/07/in-toy-story-5-its-tech-versus-toys-something-families-are-grappling-with/