This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ali Hynek. It has been edited for length and clarity.
For a couple of years, my four kids have been asking for smartphones.
Being aware of the negative impacts of smartphones, for kids and adults, my husband and I have told the kids they won’t be getting smartphones until they are at least 17.
We’ve discussed with them about why we’ve made this decision, explaining our reasoning rather than just making a blanket rule. Even though I think they understand why they aren’t allowed smartphones, I’m aware that they sometimes feel they are missing out, as so many kids in school have them.
But they’ve had watches they can make phone calls from, and we’d be open to getting them a little brick phone (like the old Nokia ones) to communicate with family and friends, as we don’t have a house phone.
Courtesy of Ali Hynek
A little over a year ago, inspired by my sister’s love of VHS tapes, I went thrift shopping to find some “old school” analog ways to listen to music. It would be a chance for the kids to tinker and learn how we used to listen to music before smartphones and streaming.
They started making their own mixtapes
I found a stereo boombox, the kind that had a CD and tape player, an old rotary-style phone, and a radio that you have to manually change the channels with a little knob.
When I brought it all home, the kids were intrigued and curious about each item. While this once had been the only way I listened to music, my kids had never even seen these devices. It was all new to them.
Courtesy of Ali Hynek
To hold their interest, I took them thrifting to find tapes and CDs to listen to, but the music we found early on was a bit boring for the kids.
Instead, I suggested they could make their own mixtapes — like I used to do when I was a kid. I bought a bunch of blank tapes and one of those 90s recording devices and let them experiment by finding songs on the radio, and pressing “record” when a song came on that they liked and “pause” when the song finished. By the end, they had personalized mixtapes with all their favorite songs.
It brought back many good memories of my childhood.
I got my 10-year-old a Walkman at his request
Ethan, my 10-year-old son, particularly liked our experimentation with analog music devices.
At the same time, he was watching “Guardians of the Galaxy” and saw that one of the characters often walks around with a Walkman and headphones.
“Can I get one of those?” he asked me.
I took him to several thrift stores, and we couldn’t find one. They were really expensive on eBay, but I found one on Amazon for a little over $30. I bought it, and we found Aerosmith and “Guardians of the Galaxy” tapes that he could listen to.
Soon after we got the Walkman, we went on a long road trip. Ethan sat for hours, looking out the car window while his music played on repeat. It was like road trips in the 90s, when all you could do was listen to music and watch the world passing you by.
At home, he just walks around with the Walkman attached to his side, headphones in. I often find him lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, and listening to his music.
Since then, my other three children have also had their own Walkman and headphones, and have taken to listening just like Ethan.
My 4 kids want to shop for cassette tapes
All four of them often want to go to thrift stores with me to hunt for cassette tapes to play. We recently found a Madonna tape, and I bought a Billie Eilish tape online.
I doubt this is just a fad. It feels more like what it’s like to learn to ride a bike — once you’ve done it, you’ll always love it. They have latched onto this way of listening to music, and I haven’t sensed that their excitement is waning. If anything, they get more and more excited to hunt for new tapes to listen to — it’s like a treasure hunt.
I love watching them enjoy music. I love that we have another hobby we can do together. I love that their faces aren’t always glued to a screen. I love having flashbacks to my own childhood.
