This article is based on a conversation with him Ali Hynek. It has been edited for length and clarity.
For two years now, all four of my kids have been listening to smartphones.
Knowing the negative impacts of smartphones on both children and adults, my husband and I have said that children should not get smartphones until they are at least 17 years old.
We discussed with them why we made this decision, explaining our rationale rather than creating a blanket rule. While I think they understand why they don’t allow smartphones, I know that sometimes they feel like they’re missing out because so many kids at school have them.
But they have watches that can make phone calls, and since we don’t have a home phone, we’d be willing to get a little brick phone (like an old Nokia) to keep in touch with family and friends.
Ali Hynek banned smartphones from his four children. Courtesy of Ali Hynek
About 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’s a chance for kids to tinker and learn how we listened to music before smartphones and streaming.
They started producing mixtapes themselves
I found a stereo boombox with a CD and tape player, an old rotary-style phone and a radio that you had to manually change channels with a little knob.
When I brought everything home, the kids were excited and curious about each item. Although this was once the only way I listened to music, my children have never seen these devices. Everything was new to them.
Ali Hynek’s children started making mixtapes at home. Courtesy of Ali Hynek
To keep them interested, I took them thrift to find tapes and CDs, but the music we found initially bored the kids.
Instead, I suggested they make their own mixtapes — like I did when I was a kid. I bought blank tapes and one of those 90s recording devices and let them experiment by finding songs on the radio, pressing “record” when their favorite song came on, and “pausing” when the song ended. Eventually, they had custom mixtapes with their favorite songs.
It brought back many fond memories of my childhood.
My 10 year old got a Walkman at his request
My 10-year-old son, Ethan, especially loved our experiments with analog music equipment.
Around the same time, he was watching “Guardians of the Galaxy” and noticed a character often walking around with a Walkman and headphones.
“Can I have one of those?” He asked me.
I took him to several thrift stores and we couldn’t find one. They are very expensive on eBay, but I found one on Amazon for over $30. I bought it and we found tapes of Aerosmith and “Guardians of the Galaxy” that he could listen to.
Soon after getting the Walkman, we went on a long road trip. Ethan sat for hours, staring out the car window as his music played again. It was like road trips in the 90s, just listening to music and watching the world pass you by.
At home, he walks with a Walkman attached to his side and headphones in. I often find myself lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, listening to his music.
Since then, all three of my other children have their own Walkmans and headphones and are starting to listen, just like Ethan.
All 4 of my kids love to buy cassette tapes
The four of them would often accompany me to thrift stores and hunt for cassette tapes. We recently found a Madonna tape and I bought a Billie Eilish tape online.
I doubt it’s just a fad. It feels like learning to ride a bike – once you’ve done it, you’ll love it forever. They followed this pattern of listening to music and I never felt their enthusiasm diminish. If anything, they get more and more excited to hunt for new tapes to listen to – it’s like a treasure hunt.
I love seeing them enjoying the music. I love that we have another hobby that we can do together. I like that their faces aren’t always glued to the screen. I love flashbacks of my own childhood.