For a generation that has grown up with Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube (and as a result, access to endless and constantly expanding libraries of content), you might expect DVDs to be completely irrelevant to Gen Alpha.

And or many years, that was true. But recently we’ve started to hear chatter from our Trendspotters about buying DVDs, CDs and even old computer games. Charity shops and second-hand websites are becoming hunting grounds for kids and teens looking to build up physical media collections of their favourite shows, movies and singers.

You might assume this is just another example of Gen Alpha's appetite for ‘newstalgia’ and fascination with older tech. As a generation who love collecting artefacts, they’re no strangers to vinyl, digital cameras and flip phones. But take a closer look at their motivations for this new wave of collecting and you’ll find that something else is going on too.

The power of streaming

The thing with streaming is that there’s a catch. Streaming might mean access to more content than you could ever consume but doesn’t actually mean owning any of it. And Gen Alpha have noticed. They’ve spotted their favourite films or shows disappearing from platforms or moving to different ones. The thing they thought they’d always be able to come back to isn’t necessarily there forever.

But the thing about Gen Alpha is that they are wired to be creative problem solvers. They don’t accept things as they are if they aren’t serving them: they find workarounds. And physical media is just that.

"I'm collecting DVDs at the moment - I recently bought 15 seasons of Family Guy. It's a bit of a new fad with me and my friends to collect physical media and going against the license to play. I collect old computer games and phones too. It's also why there was all the hassle with the GTA 6 leak and how it's only being optimised for PlayStation." Sawyer, 15

For kids like Sawyer, collecting DVDs isn't just about a fascination with things from the past. First and foremost, it's about having something that's theirs, something that can’t be taken away because of a licensing agreement.

A new generation of collectors

There's also a collectability angle. We know Generation Alpha are passionate collectors and lovers of artefacts: real, physical tokens of who they are and the experiences they’ve had. CDs and DVDs give them a way to display their interests, and in a world where so much entertainment exists behind a login screen, having a visible collection feels really quite meaningful.

And unlike vinyl, which can be expensive, DVDs only cost a few pounds, meaning that young people can pick up entire boxsets or multiple titles at once, resulting in a form of collecting that is highly accessible – and rewarding – for kids and teens.

 

"I've been buying more DVDs off of MusicMagpie and in local charity shops. Mostly Marvel ones but I got a couple Star Wars. I really want to get Deadpool though!" – Lori, 14

It's probably too early to say whether DVDs are making a full comeback, but what feels notable is that rather than this being primarily driven by nostalgia, this is - first and foremost - a reaction to growing up in a world where so much media is temporary.]

For Gen Alpha, a shelf full of DVDs isn't old-fashioned, it's ownership.