FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 22, 2026

Contact: Ashwin Verghese, Communications Director, [email protected], 508-263-0289

‘Toy Story 5’ Statement: Don’t Rush to Celebrate Disney

Rachel Franz, director of Fairplay’s Young Children Thrive Offline program, released the following statement today. For more information, or to request an interview, please contact Ashwin Verghese, Fairplay Communications Director, at [email protected] or 508-263-0289.

“Since its release on Friday, ‘Toy Story 5’ has been celebrated around the world for showing the loss of play and the takeover of tech in childhood. While we appreciate Disney’s message of more play, less screen time, we must not forget Disney’s central role in creating the screen-obsessed, commercialized world that today’s kids are growing up in.

“Disney doesn’t just make movies for kids. It pushes licensed toys, video games, clothing, virtual worlds, and more on children as young as infants. Disney has even licensed ‘Toy Story 5’s’ tablet character, Lilypad, for Leapfrog’s new ‘Toy Story 5’-themed tablet, targeted to 2- to 5-year-olds.

“Applauding Disney over ‘Toy Story 5’ would be hypocritical, since its business model relies on monetizing kids’ attention and selling them licensed goods. These licensed goods in turn stunt children’s imagination and creativity by scripting their play, thereby depriving them of the true benefits of play. It’s true that Disney is less harmful than social media companies like Meta. But it is one of the leading promoters of a commercialized, screen-centered childhood, and it should not be celebrated.

“What we are celebrating instead is that ‘Toy Story 5’s’ message reflects a cultural shift where the harms of too much screen time are now part of the zeitgeist. It’s a signal not that Disney executives are leading the movement, but rather that they are finally reading the room. The real leaders and heroes of the movement are the parents, families, educators, young people, and advocates who work tirelessly to ensure children have space to grow without being taken advantage of by Big Tech, or by entertainment giants like Disney.”

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About Fairplay

Fairplay is the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. Fairplay works to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech. Learn more at www.fairplayforkids.org.