Growing up in the 90s was a magical time—before smartphones, social media, and instant everything. We had dial-up internet, cassette tapes, and a level of patience that would baffle today’s teens. If you tried explaining these 90s kid experiences to Gen Z, they’d probably stare at you like you had three heads.
Here’s a list of totally normal 90s things that would leave Gen Z scratching theirs.
1. Calling a Friend’s House and Talking to Their Parents First
Before texting, if you wanted to chat with your friend, you had to call their landline—and risk a 10-minute conversation with their mom or dad first. Bonus anxiety: “Can [Friend] come to the phone?” while you prayed they weren’t grounded.
Gen Z Reaction: “You just… called someone’s house? Without warning?”
2. Rewinding a VHS Tape Before Returning It
Blockbuster was sacred, and forgetting to rewind your rental was a crime punishable by late fees. We either waited for the VCR to slowly rewind or used a pen/pencil to manually crank it back.
Gen Z Reaction: “Wait, you couldn’t just… skip to the scene you wanted?”
3. Memorizing Phone Numbers (or Using a Physical Phone Book)
No contacts list—just your brain (or a crumpled piece of paper) holding the 7-10 digits of everyone you knew. Lost your phone book? Time to dial 411 or flip through the Yellow Pages.
Gen Z Reaction: “You had to remember numbers? Like, on purpose?”
4. Waiting for the TV Guide Channel to Scroll By
No on-demand TV. If you missed your show’s time slot, you were out of luck. And if you wanted to know what was on? You sat there, staring at the slowly scrolling TV Guide channel, ready to scribble down times.
Gen Z Reaction: “You couldn’t just Google the schedule?”
5. Using a Walkman (and Carrying Around a Case of Tapes)
Music on the go meant rewinding tapes with a pencil, dealing with tangled cassette ribbon, and lugging around a bulky Case Logic full of mixtapes. Skip protection? A luxury.
Gen Z Reaction: “So you could only listen to, like, 12 songs at a time?”
6. Getting Kicked Off the Internet Because Someone Picked Up the Phone
Dial-up internet meant tying up the phone line—and if someone needed to make a call, you got the dreaded “GET OFF THE INTERNET!” scream from across the house. That screechy modem sound still haunts us.
Gen Z Reaction: “You couldn’t use the phone AND internet at the same time?!”
7. Blowing Into Video Game Cartridges to Make Them Work
Nintendo games were legendary, but they loved to freeze. The official 90s fix? Pull the cartridge out, blow into it like you’re performing CPR, and slam it back in. Somehow, this worked 60% of the time.
Gen Z Reaction: “That… doesn’t sound like it should work.”
8. Recording Songs Off the Radio Onto Cassettes
Making a mixtape required sitting by the radio for hours, waiting for your favorite song to play—then frantically hitting record before the DJ talked over the intro.
Gen Z Reaction: “Why not just… download it?”
9. Using a Paper Map on Road Trips
GPS didn’t exist for regular folks. If you got lost, you pulled over, unfolded a giant paper map, and argued with your family about which way was north.
Gen Z Reaction: “You just… drove around hoping you’d find it?”
10. Not Knowing Who Was Calling Until You Answered
No caller ID. Every phone call was a mystery. Telemarketer? Your crush? Your mom calling from work? You wouldn’t know until you picked up.
Gen Z Reaction: “That sounds… terrifying.”
Final Thought: 90s Kids Were Built Different
We survived buffering, busy signals, and manual rewinding—and honestly? It made us appreciate instant gratification way more. Gen Z will never understand the struggle, but hey, at least we got to experience the last truly offline decade.
Which of these 90s kid struggles hit hardest for you? Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments! 👇📞📼
