As a millennial mom, I understand that times change. Technology evolves and every generation grows up with something new. But sometimes I find myself reflecting on how different media felt when I was growing up compared to what children experience today.
When I was a kid, watching TV meant physically sitting in one place. In our house we had a small television in the dining room where I would sit and watch cartoons or whatever movie happened to be playing. I even had the advertisements memorized. I vividly remember the commercial for the pink Barbie Jeep — it played so often that I could probably still recite it today.
Media felt slower then. You watched a story from beginning to end. You waited for your favorite shows. Now we skip ads, scroll endlessly, and jump from one short clip to the next. Instead of following a story, we move through tiny fragments of content. I’ve seen groups of kids sitting together simply watching reels on their phones, and it always surprises me how quickly their attention moves from one thing to the next.
The truth is, I notice this happening to myself too. That’s one reason I intentionally stay away from apps like TikTok and Instagram. These platforms are designed to keep you hooked, constantly pulling your attention. If it’s hard for adults to manage, I can only imagine how powerful it is for a young brain that is still developing.
Another part that worries me is the amount of exposure children can have online. The internet gives instant access to so many things, and the idea of constantly monitoring parental controls or checking browsing histories feels stressful to me. I don’t want my child’s early years to revolve around navigating the dangers of the internet.
When I was a teenager, our family finally got a computer. My oldest brother created a simple rule: there were six of us, so everyone only got one hour on the computer. After your hour was up, you went back to your day. Looking back, it was such a balanced way to introduce technology.
Some of my best childhood memories came from being bored. I would sit in my room imagining stories, drawing, building things, or just thinking. Boredom gave space for creativity. I sometimes wonder how different those years would have been if I had spent them endlessly scrolling through content.
That’s part of the reason I’ve chosen a different approach to media for my baby. I don’t want screens to dominate his environment, but I do want him to enjoy stories, movies, and characters the way we once did. That’s why I saved a vintage television with a VHS and DVD player. When he’s older, he’ll be able to choose a movie, put the tape in, and watch a full story from beginning to end.
My hope is that media becomes something intentional rather than constant background noise. I want him to experience stories, then go back to playing, exploring, building, and imagining.
Eventually he will use technology. School will introduce computers and devices just like it did for us, and he will catch up quickly — children always do. But in these early years, my goal is simple: to give his brain time to develop focus, curiosity, creativity, and a love for the real world around him