When the first Toy Story movie was released in 1995, childhood looked very different.
Children spent their afternoons riding bikes, playing in the backyard, building cubby houses, creating imaginary worlds and knocking on friends' doors to see who was home. Technology existed, but it wasn't competing for every spare moment of a child's attention.
Thirty years later, Toy Story 5 arrives at a time when childhood is undergoing a profound change.
While the film centres on the familiar characters of Woody, Buzz and their friends, it introduces a challenge that feels especially relevant to modern families: screens are increasingly replacing traditional play.
Although the movie is not specifically about smartphones, its core message aligns closely with a concern that many parents share. What happens when children's attention shifts away from imaginative play and towards digital entertainment?
The smartphone difference
At Wait Mate, we often hear people say, "Children have always had screens."
That's true.
But smartphones are different.
Unlike a television that stays in the living room or a family computer that remains in a shared space, a smartphone travels everywhere with a child. It provides instant access to games, videos, messaging, social media and endless streams of content.
For the first time in history, many children carry a powerful entertainment device in their pocket from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep.
The question is not whether technology has benefits. It clearly does.
The question is what children may miss when smartphones become a central part of childhood too early.
What childhood needs
Research consistently shows that children benefit from opportunities to engage in unstructured play, develop independence, build friendships and solve problems in the real world.
These experiences help children develop confidence, resilience, creativity and social skills.
Play is not simply a way to fill time. It is one of the primary ways children learn about themselves and the world around them.
When children invent games, negotiate rules, overcome boredom, explore outdoors or spend time face-to-face with friends, they are building skills that cannot be fully replicated through a screen.
Toy Story has always celebrated the importance of imagination. In many ways, Toy Story 5 asks us to consider what happens when the space for imagination becomes crowded out by digital distractions.
Delaying smartphones is about creating space for play
The Wait Mate movement is often misunderstood as being anti-technology.
It isn't.
Our goal is not to eliminate technology from childhood. Our goal is to help families create more time for the experiences that children need most.
By delaying smartphones, parents can preserve more opportunities for:
- Imaginative play
- Outdoor adventures
- Face-to-face friendships
- Sleepovers and playdates
- Family connection
- Independence and resilience
- Learning how to manage boredom and create their own fun
These are the moments that shape childhood.
The childhood children remember
Few adults look back on their childhood and remember the hours they spent consuming content.
Instead, they remember the friendships they built, the games they invented, the adventures they shared and the freedom they experienced.
Those memories are not accidental. They are the product of time spent engaging with the real world.
As Toy Story 5 reminds us, the most important part of childhood has never been the toys themselves.
It has always been the play.
And in an age of smartphones, preserving that play may be more important than ever.
Join the Wait Mate movement
Thousands of Australian families are choosing to delay smartphones together, creating strength in numbers and helping children enjoy a more play-based childhood.
When families make this choice as a community, it becomes easier for everyone.
If you'd like to connect with other parents who are delaying smartphones, pledge now and help create a childhood where play, friendship and real-world connection remain at the centre.