When Mariah Smith decided to try a VCR swap for kids in her home, she wasn’t conducting an experiment. She was reacting to a frightening moment: her 8-year-old daughter had stumbled onto a horror movie trailer through their smart TV’s menu, and the fallout left the child scared at night. Smith hid the remote, told her older two children the TV was broken, and began looking for alternatives.
A year later, she says the change has brought unexpected benefits: her children watch less television, argue less, and have become more creative. Smith shared her experience in an as-told-to essay.
From smart TV to VHS tapes
At first, Smith’s kids asked constantly to watch something. But within a week, the requests had mostly stopped. She began introducing older technology—a boombox with CDs, the radio, and her old Game Boys—which her children treated as novel rather than outdated.
Then she remembered that her parents had kept the family’s VHS tapes. After buying an old television, she brought the tapes home. Her kids were fascinated by the format. The family now uses a small TV with a VHS player, and more recently has added DVDs for variety, including episodes of Bluey.
Why the setup feels safer
Smith says the biggest advantage is control. Because she has already seen every film in their collection, she can leave her children to watch without worrying about age-inappropriate ads or unexpected content. On their smart TV, she says, ads for movies and shows appeared in the toolbar without warning—the very thing that led to the scary trailer.
The VHS player also creates a natural barrier to passive viewing. Watching a tape requires rewinding, sitting through trailers, and rewinding again afterward. Once the movie ends, the TV goes off. Smith describes this as a natural ending, and she notes that her children disengage more easily from the small screen than they did from the large smart TV—perhaps because of the smaller size or the slower pace of the stories.
Another factor: the old setup cannot stream YouTube. Smith says she did not want her children watching YouTubers, but found it nearly impossible to remove that option from Netflix or Disney+.
Changes in behavior and atmosphere
Smith reports that her older two children argue less and seem less agitated. With the TV no longer always on, they have turned to activities like embroidery and knitting. She also says her own nervous system feels calmer without the constant background noise.
She is careful not to frame the switch as a rejection of modern technology. Instead, she describes it as finding a slower, calmer rhythm that suits her family better. The VCR swap for kids started as a quick fix, but it has lasted a year—and Smith says she is grateful for the change.
