Stranger Things taps into a vision of childhood that's nearly extinct, emphasizing kids being kids without constant digital presence.
The show features children exploring actual territories, setting up hideouts, and facing real danger without adult supervision.
Unlike today's monitored childhood, the kids in Hawkins experience freedom and adventure without GPS tracking or constant oversight.
The show showcases a time when problem-solving required resourcefulness and creativity, without the aid of smartphones or immediate access to information.
Stranger Things portrays victories as earned through genuine experimentation and courage, where mistakes have consequences unlike in today's digital age.
Friendship is depicted as physical and demanding, requiring real presence and interaction, in contrast to today's digital connectivity.
The exploration of productive boredom leading to genuine discovery in Stranger Things highlights the importance of unstructured time for curiosity and adventure.
The show emphasizes that actions had weight and consequences couldn't be undone, contrasting with the virtual worlds and safety nets of modern childhood.
Stranger Things presents childhood as a transformative period with genuine challenges, courage, and real consequences, shaping the characters into fundamentally different individuals.
It serves as both an elegy for lost aspects of childhood and a reminder of what growing up should entail: meaningful experiences that go beyond mere time-passing.