child education
Toy Story 5’s ‘Lilypad’ is an indictment of the world that birthed the ‘iPad Kid’
Toy Story 5 introduces “Lilypad,” a kid-friendly tablet that sidelines Woody and Buzz—and spotlights how the “iPad kid” debate is less about bad parenting and more about work, childcare costs, and a broken social safety net.
Aarushi Bhandari, Davidson College
In the trailer for “Toy Story 5,” a little girl named Bonnie is playing with her toys when a package arrives in the mail.
She opens it to find Lilypad, a tablet for children.
The iconic toys from the series – Woody, Buzz Lightyear, the Potato Heads, Forky and Slinky Dog – then watch in dismay as Bonnie casts them all aside in favor of the bright tablet screen. Rex the dinosaur exclaims, “What? Extinction? Not again!”
The film zeros in on a uniquely 21st-century phenomenon: the “iPad kid,” a term used – often disparagingly – to describe a generation of children who grew up enchanted by screens.
A lot of the discussion around tablet use among kids shames parents, framing it as an example of lazy or bad parenting. Yet factors such as long working hours and lack of access to affordable childcare compel many parents to rely on tablets.
As a scholar of the attention economy – and also as a mom to a 4-year-old – I’ve noticed a disconnect between the resources U.S. society offers parents versus what’s expected of them in the digital age.
’ Woody, Buzz and the gang must prove that traditional toys still matter when Bonnie becomes captivated by a high-tech tablet named Lilypad.
The pandemic and the ‘square au pair’
When the first “Toy Story” came out in 1995, many single-income families could still afford to comfortably raise multiple kids. It was more common for new parents to live near their extended families, such as grandparents, to provide childcare support. Federal policies provided some low-income families with cash assistance that helped ease the cost of transition to parenthood.
Since then, parenting has become a lot more challenging. Single-income households with kids under 18 have steadily declined as wages have stagnated, forcing both parents into the workforce. At the same time, it’s harder to qualify for government benefits.
And even when moms do earn a paycheck, working moms experience what sociologists call the “motherhood penalty” – career disadvantages, such as lower wages and promotion barriers, due to childbirth – even as U.S. parental leave policies remain weak.
So it’s hardly a surprise that fewer Americans are choosing to become parents under these conditions. But those who did have kids in the years leading up to 2020 ran smack into the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lockdown that started in March 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic led to closures of schools and many workplaces. Many parents either worked from home or provided critical work in grocery stores and hospitals. Kids stayed home and schools transitioned to remote-learning models.
It’s important to remember that many institutions with social legitimacy and authority encouraged the use of tablets during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
School systems around the world normalized their use for remote learning. Children as young as 4 were given tablets, which gave their parents space to complete their own remote work and other household tasks, with some moms referring to it as “the square au pair.”
In this sense, the tablet became a form of school-sanctioned childcare.
Economic activity was minimally disrupted. Productivity hummed along. And the kids? Comfortably distracted.
For some households, there’s little choice
When lockdowns ended, tablets remained integrated into the education system. In 2021, 4 in 5 U.S. households with children had a tablet. Beyond schoolwork, kids also use tablets for activities, such as video games and watching TV.
The adverse impacts of excessive screen time in general has been well documented for decades. But scholars have only recently unpacked the specific harms of interactive tablet use among young children.
Children who use tablets are more likely to experience emotional dysregulation and dependency on screens. Researchers have also found tablet use among kids to be significantly associated with ADHD diagnoses.
At the same time, research shows screen time use among children is tied to social class.
Parents from working- and middle-class households are more likely to rely on screens compared to high-income parents, who can hire childcare services, such as full-time nannies.
Parental education is also a factor. Americans generally have little grasp of digital hygiene – knowledge about best practices to minimize negative effects of screens. But households with parents who didn’t graduate from college are even more in the dark.
And while schools hand out tablets, most of them fail to provide students and families with a comprehensive education on the adverse impacts of excessive screen time.
In other words, this isn’t a Generation Alpha problem. Most people – adults included, with or without children – aren’t properly educated and informed about their choices around technology use. Yet adults continue to be shamed if they hand their kid a tablet. All the while, parents navigate the added burdens of challenging the educational status quo around tablets.
Frankenstein’s village
When work is the only sturdy pillar in a society where government benefits for low-income people, family ties and community institutions have eroded, tablets replace the metaphorical village – the web of social support that helps families thrive.
In pursuit of jobs or affordable housing, many young parents move farther from their extended families and the communities where they grew up. The working parents who are forced to rely on daycare – sending kids as young as a few weeks old – end up spending an exorbitant amount of money on the service.
Meanwhile, the persistence of traditional gender roles ensures that many moms still go home to a second shift: Working women continue to disproportionately cook, clean and care for children. No matter how overworked or exhausted some parents are, they cannot afford to hire help as the inflation and cost-of-living crises hit historic highs.
Big Tech takes advantage of this crisis with a “solution” that ultimately treats children as products, manipulating their emotions and mining their data. As I argue in my book, “Attention and Alienation,” children’s dependency on screens is a key component of the attention economy.
The earlier a life is monetized, the longer it is profitable.
“Toy Story 5” and its critical take on the tablet may be helpful. But it will take more than a blockbuster movie to protect small kids from the harms of too much screen time. Instead, I think it will require strong parental leave policies, expansive and affordable childcare access, fair wages and shared household labor.
In other words, there needs to be a full rehabilitation of the village.
Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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More Than Hair: How the Back-to-School Haircut Impacts Confidence
(Feature Impact) For years, parents make nearly every style decision for their children – from first-day outfits to picture-day haircuts. Then, almost overnight, those little ones develop opinions of their own about what to wear and how to style their hair.
As boys enter middle and high school, 84% of parents notice their sons care significantly or somewhat more about their appearance, based on results of a survey conducted by Atomik Research on behalf of Sport Clips Haircuts, a sports-themed haircutting franchise specializing in haircuts for men and boys.
What’s more, according to the American Psychological Association, physical appearance is an important part of adolescent identity, helping young people express themselves while also navigating social expectations and peer relationships. Those expectations have added more pressure on children and teens to present themselves well as nearly three-quarters of parents surveyed (71%) said boys today face more pressure to look put-together going into a new school year than they remember from their own school years.
Haircuts are Becoming Part of Back-to-School Checklists
While shopping for school supplies, organizing backpacks and choosing first-day outfits are all familiar traditions ahead of a new school year, scheduling a haircut is increasingly part of the back-to-school agenda. While 20% of parents surveyed notice their child shift back into school mode when they pick out their first-day outfit, and another 19% said it’s when their sons pack or organize their bags, 71% said getting their son a fresh haircut or new hairstyle has become a reliable part of their back-to-school routine.
In fact, more than one-third of parents said their preteen or teenage sons are the ones asking for a back-to-school haircut. Another 22% said they bring it up around the same time, meaning more than half of boys are already thinking about how they’ll show up on the first day.
The Connection Between Appearance and Confidence
Ninety-five percent of parents surveyed said the way their son feels about his appearance influences how confidently he approaches school, sports and social activities. As boys age and want to choose their own style, a haircut is only one piece of the equation. Allowing them to choose clothes they feel comfortable wearing as well as having conversations about what they’re looking forward to (and what they’re nervous about) as another school year begins are also part of the preparations that can help boost self-esteem before they ever walk through the school doors.
The Hairstyles Boys are Asking for This Year
If you thought parents’ opinions about theirs sons’ haircuts mattered, think again. More than half of boys ages 11-17 know exactly what haircut they want before the school year begins. Parents report many are inspired by celebrities, athletes or digital creators.
According to the survey, 30% of boys want a tapered fade like the one U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese wore during the 2026 World Cup. Nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents said their child wants a classic cut, similar to YouTuber Caylus Cunningham. Only 10% of boys are requesting a longer or shaggy style, like actor Jacob Elordi, and even fewer are looking for fringe bangs; the “broccoli cut,” which is short on the sides and curly on top; or a buzz cut.
Whether it’s a subtle trim or a completely new style, the back-to-school haircut has evolved into one of the first opportunities each school year for boys to express themselves. Learn more about this year’s trends, and schedule an appointment ahead of the school year, at sportclipsinc.com.
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Family
7 Tricks to Ease Back-to-School Chaos with a Little Magic
Ease Back-to-School Chaos: Between shopping for supplies, coordinating the family’s schedules and trying to make sure everyone is looking and feeling their best, there’s a lot going on this time of year. While you may not be able to wave a wand and make all the stress disappear, you can use these tips and tricks to save time and add a touch of excitement to the back-to-school season.
7 Tricks to Ease Back-to-School Chaos with a Little Magic
(Feature Impact) Everyone could use a little more magic in their everyday lives – but when it comes to back-to-school season, “manic” often feels like the more accurate word. Between shopping for supplies, coordinating the family’s schedules and trying to make sure everyone is looking and feeling their best, there’s a lot going on this time of year.
While you may not be able to wave a wand and make all the stress disappear, you can use these tips and tricks – courtesy of the haircut magicians at Great Clips – to save time and add a touch of excitement to the back-to-school season.
//www.youtube.com/embed/4NSGXEdJU4M
Start Routines Early
Instead of waiting for the first day of school to change all your routines, guide your family into the time warp a little more gradually. Shift sleep and wake times a week or two ahead of time so the early wakeups won’t come as such a shock to the system. Adapt meal schedules and other daily habits the same way. Before you know it, the spell will be complete and you’ll be ready to roll with the regular school-day schedules.
Create a Special Back-to-School Tradition
Watching your kids’ eyes light up is its own mini dose of magic that never gets old. Start a fun new tradition to brighten their first day or week. That could be a special breakfast, new outfit, porch photoshoot, surprise gift for them to discover in their backpacks or another creative idea personalized to your family.
Get a Convenient and Affordable Haircut
A haircut can help children and parents get into the back-to-school spirit. That’s why Great Clips partnered with internet celebrity and magician Justin Flom, known for his mind-bending optical illusions, to help remind parents they don’t need complicated tricks to make getting a back-to-school haircut a breeze. With the Great Clips app, parents can easily check in multiple family members at once, keep an eye on wait times and get notified when it’s their turn for a haircut. No illusions, no sleight of hand – just convenient, affordable haircuts that feel like much needed relief for parents.
“Our goal is to help families spend less time waiting and more time doing what matters during one of the busiest seasons of the year,” said Traci Elder, vice president of marketing and communications at Great Clips, Inc. “The Great Clips app helps families save time by making haircuts fit more seamlessly into their busy schedules and at a great price, too.”
Plan Outfits Ahead of Time
The morning rush often feels like the furthest thing from a fairytale. Take at least one groggy decision off your plate by choosing clothes the evening before – or even assembling a week’s worth of outfits on Sunday and storing them in a special drawer that gives your child an instant portal to getting dressed.
Personalize School Supplies
From preferred colors to beloved characters, all kids have their favorites. Stock them up with pens, notebooks, lunchboxes and other supplies that match their current obsessions; that way, it’s more exciting to use them at school and show their swag off to their friends.
Refresh the Study Space
Homework time might look like less of a wizard battle if your kids have a special place to do it. Add some whimsy to their study spaces by putting up string lights, letting them pick out a new piece of furniture or art, and making their environment cozy and comfortable.
Set School Year Goals
As a family, take some time to figure out what each of you wants to achieve this year – and make it fun. Amp up the magic here by writing down your goals; then, keep track of progress by filling up a goal jar with shiny stars, swirly marbles or fun charms. Throughout the school year, set up different “quests” for your family to accomplish.
Discover more about back-to-school haircut magic that saves you time and money at GreatClips.com/BacktoSchool.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (mom and daughter)
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Food and Beverage
Protein-Packed Snacking for Back-to-School Season
Back-to-School Season: As busy families prepare for hectic school days, it can be invaluable to have nutritious grab-and-go options on hand for lunches and snacks. Having one less thing to worry about makes a difference when you’re juggling work, school, sports practices and games, and other extracurriculars while trying to keep everyone fed and happy.
Last Updated on August 6, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Protein-Packed Snacking for Back-to-School Season
(Feature Impact) As busy families prepare for hectic school days, it can be invaluable to have nutritious grab-and-go options on hand for lunches and snacks. Having one less thing to worry about makes a difference when you’re juggling work, school, sports practices and games, and other extracurriculars while trying to keep everyone fed and happy.
Watch this video to learn more
Since protein is an important nutrient for energy and satiety, choosing options like PB2Go Cups could be the perfect solution. As the pioneer of powdered peanut butter, PB2 has made it more portable than ever with the introduction of their new, on-the-go cups.
With 10-11 grams of protein per cup, they’re easy to toss in a lunchbox or backpack, offering a convenient way to keep your family powered up through the afternoon. Simply add water to the fill line, stir with the built-in spoon and enjoy the Original or Chocolate Chip flavors on their own or as a dip with pretzels, crackers, apple slices or bananas for more flavor and fun during your snack break.
“Between packed lunches, busy schedules, and after-school activities, convenient protein options are a game changer,” said registered dietitian Mia Syn, a food and nutrition expert. “That’s why I love PB2Go Cups. With a built-in spoon in the lid, they’re ready to toss in a lunch box, backpack, or gym bag and enjoy wherever the day takes you.”
Whether you’re tackling early-morning school prep or searching for a ready-when-you-are snack to keep in your locker, powdered peanut butter is a healthy, satisfying choice. No stress and no mess makes for a winning combination, and families who value balanced nutrition will appreciate having a quick, pre-portioned source of protein on hand when their schedules are full.
For more information, visit PB2.com.
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