Something is changing this Christmas, and parents everywhere are feeling it. Bedrooms overflow with toys no one touches, while tablets steal the spotlight, pulling children as young as five into digital worlds that retailers are slow to recognize. The shift is quiet but unmistakable, and many parents are left wondering what toy purchases even make sense anymore.
Research shows that higher screen time correlates with significantly lower engagement in other play activities, mainly traditional, physical, unstructured play. It suggests screen-based play is displacing classic play with traditional toys. Families are experiencing in real time what experts increasingly describe as the rise of “gamified childhoods.”
Parents walk store aisles searching for something that will excite the children on Christmas morning, yet we already know the truth. The toys we select will not compete with Minecraft® or Roblox® games like Dress to Impress® and 99 Nights in the Forest®, or with other digital universes where kids spend most of their creative energy. Children care about avatars, skins, upgrades, quests, weapons, and character packs. They care about customizing their online identities, cheat codes, and unlocking features that help them advance. Dolls, trucks, and building sets simply cannot hold their attention as well as digital play does.
This year, my family donated toys twice. Not because we want to purge clutter, but because the playroom tells the whole story. Many toys from birthdays still remain unopened in the closet. Others are played with once and never touched again. Yet the moment a tablet turns on, the excitement is instant. The dopamine hits from the rewards of progressing through a game are strong. The children want Robux, Minecoins, game passes, exclusive content, and digital tools that help them explore their online worlds. It becomes clear that parents are shopping in physical toy stores for an outdated model of childhood.
Retailers are falling even further behind. Childhood culture has shifted. Merchandise tied to the digital properties kids care about barely exists. Try finding quality items connected to 99 Nights in the Forest, KPop Demon Hunters®, or many of the other games that influence children’s online experiences. You will likely walk away empty-handed. The demand is high, and the audience is loyal, yet retailers are missing a significant financial opportunity.
This disconnect leaves parents frustrated, confused, and sometimes feeling guilty. We want to give something meaningful. We want to see genuine joy on our children’s faces. Instead, we often watch them unwrap toys that end up in the donation pile by Spring Break. At the same time, many parents feel a quiet worry building. We see how deeply these games pull our children in, and we instinctively sense that this level of immersion is not always healthy. The research reflects their concerns. Some families even notice changes in mood, patience, and attention when gaming becomes the center of play. Gaming is not a slight seasonal trend. It reflects a significant cultural shift in how children imagine, learn, and socialize.
I admit I disapprove of the nature of many of these games for the children in my family, yet I see the pressure they feel because all their friends are talking about the zombie-crazed deer in 99 Nights. The adage that asks whether you would jump off a bridge if your friends did no longer works. The answer is yes, but now parents are the ones providing the safety equipment so their children can jump and land as softly as possible.
As a former teacher and an early childhood specialist, I suggest shifting the focus this holiday season to experiences as gifts. Children may not hold on to physical toys, but they remember moments. Experiences support healthy development in ways that toys sometimes cannot. Families can consider museum memberships, robotics camps, art classes, sports clinics, concerts, creative workshops, or meaningful family outings. To keep the magic of unwrapping alive, parents can place a small related gift under the tree, such as a child-friendly camera for a year of museum visits, a nature explorer kit for an outdoor program, or art supplies that introduce an upcoming class.
Christmas feels different now, but it also offers an opportunity. I am mourning the decline of traditional toys, but parents can use this season to rethink how we protect, connect, and support our children in an evolving world.
The playtime paradigm shift is already here.
Janice Robinson-Celeste is a former educator and the founder of Successful Black Parenting Magazine, a multi-award-winning publication that empowers Black families. She is a Public Voices fellow of the OpEd Project in partnership with the National Black Child Development Institute.
