When Patti and I were brainstorming our holiday gift guides, we realized how different our own kids have it. Some of the things we loved growing up are literally analog. We’re talking physical media: cassettes and CDs, VHS and DVDs, gaming consoles with zero connectivity. Who even owns a CD player anymore?

Tech has allowed us to reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating physical items in lieu of streaming and downloading entertainment onto one device; but that leaves a big gap when kids aren’t supposed to have their own smart devices until 8^th grade.

A Matter of Personal Taste

For me, I’ve become the gatekeeper to my kids’ entertainment. I control what they listen to, play, and watch. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to the metaverse, I’ve started to feel like it might limit their ability to explore in a pop cultural sense.

As a child, I would roam through Blockbuster or FYE, perusing to find a movie for Friday night or a new album from an artist I heard on the radio. As long as there wasn’t a parental advisory label, my parents were fine with it. Radio, CD players, and TV/VHS combos promoted autonomy for millennial kids. We would put on our headphones, chill in our room, and not bother anyone. This was an extremely personal experience and led us to actively build an entire physical library of culture.

The freedom to figure out our interests through entertainment would then lead to finding friends/community who shared the same musical, movie, or gaming tastes. MTV alone is credited for raising Gen X and Millennials. Tweens/teens are extremely impressionable, and this coming-of-age experience can be extremely influential. 

Cut to a few years ago when Patti and her little sister were talking about high school. Patti asked about favorite bands or what her favorite book was, and there were *crickets*. It left her and us genuinely worried that our kids could grow up culturally boring and with no actual point of view.

Even though the concept of sharing our playlists, recommending movies, or gaming together still exists without a tangible media collection, it’s not as accessible for our kids to do on their own. Even if they did have a device, we’ve put parental controls on it so fast to prevent them from things aren’t age appropriate. They can’t really veer off to find their own tastes without our consent, and I’m trying to not raise a mini-me.  Following the written advice of Patti to my son when he was born, I want them to “get your own record collection and find out what you like”.

As a Whole

Kids’ methods of discovering music have also evolved. We’ve cut out listening to the radio in favor of curated Spotify or Apple Music playlists. Stumbling on an artist organically is now significantly harder. Kids are also finding new artists and tracks through video games like “Fortnite” and through algorithms in apps.

Compare this to getting your first New Kids on the Block album in second grade and wearing out the cassette. Albums were created to tell an overarching story from beginning to end. Listening through an entire album is (supposed to be) a synergy that goes beyond a handful of singles or viral snippets. This is probably why we hang on to Taylor Swift’s Eras but no one else’s; we’ve invested time, emotional energy, and connected with something personal. Are there any other mediums that can give kids (ages 7-12) that kind of experience?

This had us wondering: Should we just give our kids an old-school stereo for Christmas? Some parents are providing their children with access to music without using screens and internet access. Due to a lack of stand-alone options currently available, they are dusting off the old Walkman, portable CD players, and record players. Even the MP3 players and iPods are making a comeback with parents relearning how to download music files.

Yes, family is still going to be the main cultural influence at this age, especially if you have a range of kids. But we are starting to see the sway of friends when our kids get back from school, which makes me think:

What do you do at home to introduce your kid to new music?
Has your kid surprised you with an out-of-the-blue song request?
How have you slowly phased out the Encanto soundtrack from your Spotify?
Did your parents encourage music and media growing up?

Share in the comments!

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