By Joshua Tyler
| Published
The first teaser trailer for Toy Story 5 has arrived, and it reveals something incredibly disturbing. It’s about a new type of toy. That toy is an iPad called Lilypad.
That might seem like it makes sense on the surface. After all, iPads have become a commonplace parenting tool. Unfortunately, giving your child an iPad is also one of the worst things you can do for them. That glowing rectangle doesn’t just keep them busy; it causes severe emotional and developmental damage.
Screens Are Poison For Young Kids
MRI studies of kids aged 3 to 5 found that higher “digital media use” scores were associated with reduced cortical thickness and sulcal depth in brain regions tied to language, visual processing and attention. Children with higher daily screen time show more attention problems and distraction. A systematic review covering multiple studies concluded that “exposure to excessive screen time… can be associated with attention problems.”
Dangerous mental-health effects? You bet. One longitudinal study of early adolescents found higher overall screen time linked to increased depressive and ADHD symptoms.
There’s even a term for kids suffering from screen exposure. It’s screen-induced autism.
Buzz Lightyear Toys Make Kids Smarter And Healthier
On the other hand, playing with a Buzz Lightyear toy boosts fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and problem-solving. Research shows that hands-on play strengthens neural pathways for creativity and focus, while pretend play enhances language and emotional intelligence.
Promoting toys as a healthy thing for children used to be what the Toy Story franchise was about. Even in the 1990s, when the internet wasn’t as prevalent, the idea was to get your kids playing and imagining rather than watching television. It glorified play over screens. It’s the entire point of the Toy Story universe and that’s never been more important than it is right now.
In our greatest moment of need, Toy Story is abandoning what’s good for children and embracing the world of toxic, lazy parenting. The teaser suggests Toy Story 5 is promoting something so damaging that nearly every scientist on the planet advises against doing it.
Quentin Tarantino Explains What Went Wrong
A few months back, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino revealed on Club Random that he’s both a huge fan of the first Toy Story trilogy and that he’s vowed never to watch another Toy Story movie after Toy Story 3. Quentin says, “You literally ended the story as perfect as you could, so no I don’t care if it’s good. I’m done.”
Continuing your franchise after you’ve achieved the perfect ending is maybe the dumbest thing any Hollywood studio could do. The result of such unimaginably stupid decisions isn’t just a bad movie, but a toxic one, dedicated to normalizing behavior harmful to children. That’s what Toy Story 5 is: toxic.
