The last time I took my kids to our local library, my youngest picked up a DVD and asked me quizzically, what’s this, mama? After I explained the evolution of VHS to DVDs, but saying no, we can’t get it because we don’t have a DVD player, something occurred to me. I’d been struggling with the sheer amount of live TV and subscription-based streaming services available for my 6 and 8-year-olds. We had everything from Disney+ to Prime Video to Netflix, and honestly, it was just too much. Could old-school physical media vs. streaming services be exactly the solution I was looking for?
So I bought a DVD player. It was less than $30 on Amazon and honestly one of the best purchases I’ve made for my kids. And the next time we went to the library, I said “yes” to the DVD for our next movie night. We had cozy blankets, snacks galore, and watched a nostalgic movie that we all enjoyed. The result was recapturing some of that pure ’90s movie night magic. Here’s how my family’s return to physical media versus streaming services is going so far.
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Why I made the switch to DVDs for my kids
First, I hated the immediacy of streaming services, the endless amount of content, and the increasing number of options available. As a parent, this choice overload not only made it hard to monitor what they watched, but I worried it was affecting their mental health. And reading Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation only exacerbated my concern. In it, Haidt outlines the connection between increasing mental health issues in kids and screens—more specifically, smartphones and tablets with internet, social media, and countless apps.
While my kids don’t have smartphones or smartwatches yet, they both have tablets and are well-versed in streaming content from their favorite content creators. Eliminating endless choices by using physical media to watch seemed like a no-brainer. Not to mention, supporting my local library services is always a plus.
Benefits of using physical media vs. streaming services
Fewer choices meant fewer sibling arguments
If you have more than one kid, this one probably hits home. Though my kids are close in age and the same gender, they never want to watch the same thing. It seems there’s constant arguing and bartering over what they’re watching. Most often, we just alternate whose turn it is to pick, then comes the nightmare of picking two shows or videos that are the same length. (Spoiler alert: this is nearly impossible.)
But when we have just one movie from the library’s bookmobile, there’s no arguing, because there’s only one choice, since I choose the movie. I also find everyone is happier, even if it’s not their favorite movie. We get a new DVD each week from our local library—titles like Mufasa and shows like Ben 10. Next week, it’s Matilda.
Decision fatigue hits kids, too
Fewer sibling squabbles could be because research has shown that decision fatigue can make kids irritable, even tired, a bad combo at bedtime (or anytime). I get it. Like the endless scrolling I experience while looking for something to watch on Netflix after a long day, I’ve noticed my kids experience decision fatigue, too. Sometimes they spend so much time trying to decide what to watch, and end up without enough time before bedtime to actually watch anything.
More regulatory oversight
While we don’t watch YouTube very often in our house, my kids have found a way around it. Countless other apps stream content from their favorite creators (i.e., the Roku Channel and Tubi, plus the apps created by individual creators). As a mom, it’s overwhelming. I often find myself saying yes to apps or shows that look fine from the outset, but turn out to be too mature or slightly inappropriate given my kids’ ages. That’s because these streaming apps largely operate without any regulatory oversight at all.
Transforming screentime into a bonding moment
So instead of letting them have free rein over the remote to access the endless amount of streaming content, I hype up movie night. I buy special snacks, let them have popcorn and candy, and tell them all about the movie before we watch it, since it’s often a nostalgic pick from my childhood.
The first time we did DVD movie night, I walked them through the mechanics: how to open the DVD player, carefully remove the DVD, and where to put it in the player. They loved it and couldn’t get over how an entire movie was stored on the DVD’s shiny surface. We’re going on a month of old-school movie night, and so far, it’s been a hit. I’ve also noticed they’re less resistant to turning off screens when their time is up, since the movie has a clear endpoint—unlike the endless content from streaming services.
Going analog in other ways
Leaning into DVDs isn’t the only way we’ve gone analog. We recently installed a landline phone in our laundry room, along with a laminated printout of all the people they can call: Me, my husband, and both sets of grandparents. While there’s the occasional prank call, it’s been a great way for them to connect with family on their own terms.
I also bought them a Polaroid camera. PSA: this film is not cheap. But they absolutely love it. They go through roll after roll of film, and the results are no less than magical. Once I let go of control over what they took pictures of, it gave me a glimpse into how they see the world and each other. Another bonus? I now have an endless supply of the cutest bookmarks ever.
Will a thrifted iPod or an old-school Walkman be next on my boys’ birthday list? Maybe. According to recent Google data, searches for “portable cassette player” and “second-hand iPod” are way up. And I’m all for leaning more into analog life.
What I learned after buying my kids a DVD player
Do my kids still watch tablets, YouTube, or the occasional video by their favorite creator? Sure. But it’s limited to a few hours a week, far less than the hour per day I used to allow. We still have streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, but I find we’re reaching for those less and less. And while I know I can’t keep them away from technology forever, I’m hoping that these small, analog changes like the DVD player will help foster a healthy relationship with technology in the future. A mom can dream, right?
Rachel Morgan Cautero, Contributing Writer
Rachel is a full-time freelance writer based in Ponte Vedra, Florida. When she’s not busy wrangling a toddler, preschooler, and one very stubborn French bulldog, she’s writing on all things personal finance and parenting. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Forbes, Parents, Nerdwallet, The Balance, Yahoo Finance, Truly Mama, SmartAsset, HerMoney, and DailyWorth.
