Toy Story 5 will be released in cinemas this Thursday. The latest instalment of the film franchise addresses a dilemma many parents face: what happens to playtime when children become obsessed with screens?

The original Toy Story movie was released in 1995. The generation of viewers who grew up with toys Woody, Buzz and Jessie are now parents themselves.

The latest film introduces a new character – Lilypad (a tablet). Eight-year-old Bonnie becomes obsessed with Lilypad and screen time at the expense of her old toys. As Jessie laments, “I’m losing Bonnie to this device”.

I’m an early childhood researcher with a focus on both digital technology and play. While Toy Story 5 might seem like a cautionary tale, perhaps the time has passed for an either/or debate about technology in children’s lives.

Technology is all around children, at both home and school and in communities. We need to find ways to combine the traditional with digital to create valuable play opportunities.

This means we don’t have to think of play as “tech vs traditional” toys.

When we think of toys we traditionally think of two kinds.

They can be self-created from found items at home or outside, such as sticks, rocks or a cardboard box.

Children can transform these ordinary items as they use their imaginations. This may be a stick that holds special powers, or a rock that........

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