Wow, my buddy's dad did the same thing after quitting.

Cheap stuff wins every time. My $12 drugstore hair dryer from like 2015 outlived two $80 ones that died within a year each. The expensive ones had all these buttons and heat settings and the motor just gave out. Sometimes simple is just better.

Kids that age really do believe whatever they see on a screen is real, my nephew used to try to hand crackers to his dad through video chat. What worked for us was turning the calls into a little game with a clear goodbye, like grandma signing off and blowing kisses before the screen went dark. Giving them a set ending seems to help their brain file it as a visit that's over, not someone who got trapped in there.