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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A California couple decided to stop their kids streaming movies and TV shows in favor of watching old VHS tapes, with interesting results.
Rachael Schaefer, a 32-year-old mom to two boys Jack and Indie, with a third child on the way, took to TikTok under the handle @hellorachaelrose to share how she and her husband, Jordan, decided to go back to the 1990s in an effort to curb their kids’ watching habits.
"Two years ago, our son Jack had woken up early in the morning and snuck downstairs to the TV room," Schaefer told Newsweek. "To our shock, we had walked into the room with the TV on, and somehow, he was 20 minutes into Get Him To The Greek on the Netflix app."
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The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry said that, on average, children between the ages of 8 and 18 in the U.S. spent 7.5 hours a day watching or using screens. Though screentime is an effective way of entertaining and engaging an otherwise-restless child and can have educational benefits, it is not without its problems. Watching the wrong content can encourage bad behaviors and have a negative impact on a child’s mental health and outlook on the world. Too much screen time can also impact sleep, mood, diet and educational outcomes.
Schaefer said she has always been concerned about her kids’ screentime, which has only been exacerbated in recent years. "Jack was 3 months old when COVID happened and media consumption became a daily habit in our household," she said. "He quickly learned from a young age what all the apps were: YouTube, Netflix and Disney+.
"In these last four years, we’ve seen apps evolve. Everything is digitized and easily accessible. Content of a wide age range is grouped and deemed ‘appropriate for children’ without restriction of the option thereof."
Schaefer and her husband made every effort to "set boundaries" on screen time for their 6- and 4-year-old sons, in the process, she came to a concerning realization about content today. "We are a part of the first generation in history to parent children born into addiction," Schaefer said. "Addiction to instant, unlimited options and access; unbridled content at your fingertips with no end in sight; when one show ends another will instantly play designed to keep you watching."
It made Schaefer and Jordan think back to their own childhoods and how content had only played a peripheral role in their experience of growing up. "Our memories were filled with joy, deeper connection to people and life, a greater ability to be attentive and present," Schaefer said.
Jordan was the one who hit upon a way in which they could take back some of that control. "My husband had the idea to find a little VHS TV we could put in the kids' room so they could watch movies we’ve approved," Schaefer said. "I started collecting old VHS tapes from thrift stores and eBay. It became such a fun experience for the kids!"
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While the hunt for VHS tapes and the shared experience of watching the movies together was fun in itself, the reduction in the amount of media their kids were consuming on a daily basis as a result had a more-profound impact.
"Their attention spans were becoming increasingly short with screen time. The constant change of shows and movies whenever they wanted. They could start or end something new at the click of a button," Schaefer said. "This translated into daily behaviors and not being able to follow through with tasks."
A few weeks into the change and, while the boys are still getting used to having to rewind movies and be a little more patient, the benefits are clear to see. "Their productivity has skyrocketed," Schaefer said. "Their ability to be bored and be OK with being bored has led them to love independent play. It’s really brought peace of mind to both Jordan and I, and has created sweet memories for the entire family."
It has even had a knock on effect on Schaefer and her husband, with Jordan purchasing a few more VHS movies for the couple to watch when the kids go to sleep. "People cling to nostalgia and long to own material that sparks joy. For us personally, it means so much to physically have something rather than rely on a streaming app that can add or remove content."
Media has evolved beyond recognition in the past 25 years. Schaefer said she sees the change they have made as an opportunity to "take back control," and she would encourage others who might be concerned to do the same. "It’s a small adjustment that has been a steppingstone in finding more creative ways to lessen our media consumption and become more present as a family and as people," she added.
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