Tom Hanks stated that Toy Story 5 depicts the 'terror' of children's screen addiction via a new tablet antagonist called Lilypad.

Hanks told BBC reporter David Sillito that the cast observed young people's disinterest during phone use and noted a cityscape scene of blue phone glows in bedrooms that evokes fear, describing it as a generational technological divide (BBC, 2024).

Tim Allen reported his teenage daughter struggling to focus on a full film due to seven-second Instagram arcs, while the film includes a Taylor Swift song and features returning voice cast members (BBC, 2024).