10 Things 70s & 80s Kids Did Daily That Young People Today Wouldn't Last 5 Minutes Doing
Bruno M Photographie | Shutterstock Each generation has its own unique attitude and habits. Kids today will never know what life's like without internet, which is both a blessing and a curse. Because of this, they can't imagine what their parents' generation experienced as kids.
The experiences and activities that engrossed Gen X kids simply cannot be replicated in 2026 by their children. Not because they're weak, but because life was so drastically different back then.
Things 70s & 80s kids did daily that young people today wouldn't last doing today:
1. Long drives and vacations with no air conditioning
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Air conditioning wasn't the norm back in the 70s and 80s. Gen X kids had to endure long car rides to grandma's house in the middle of summer with absolutely no cool air for hours.
Once they got there, it was unlikely grandma (or anyone else they visited!) would've had A/C throughout the home. If they were lucky, there might be a window unit in a bedroom where they could hide out and cool down for a while.
A study published in Explorations in Economic History confirms this, writing, "In 1955, fewer than 2% of the nation's residences had air conditioning; by 1980, over half were air conditioned, and over a quarter had central air."
This is why the kids of Gen X wouldn't have lasted five minutes in their parents' day. Not because they're weak, but because they're just so used to every car having A/C and most homes being nice and cool on even the hottest days.
2. Calling friends from the kitchen landline
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The younger generation values privacy above all else. While they adore their families, they need space to gossip and complain in peace. This is why they'd seriously struggle with the telephone situation their parents grew up with: a landline in the kitchen with a cord that only stretched so far.
Not only is it uncomfortable, but it also didn't allow 70s and 80s kids to express how they were truly feeling. Even worse? They had to talk on the phone to their friends' parents or siblings nearly every time they called!
Especially in today's kids' age, where young people use their voices more than ever, speaking out and standing by their own opinions, this level of monitoring would've been intolerable.
This may be one reason Gen X parents have empathy for their kids and try to respect their privacy more than their own parents ever could have.
3. Staying outside until the streetlights came on
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Life today is safer for kids than it was back in their parents' day. It might not feel like it, but with crime rates dramatically lower than in the 70s and 80s, it should actually be safer for kids to play outside with no phones all day, only coming home when the street lights turned on.
However, with "stranger danger" instilled into younger generations and a new tradition of being almost constantly connected to your parents via phones and tracking apps, being booted out to play until dark is inconceivable.
No, it isn't because they're antisocial. While they love their alone time, the reason for staying indoors isn't to catch up on their favorite streaming shows (though it's a little bit of that, too!). It's because social media has made life feel more terrifying than it actually is.
One interesting question to ponder is whether America is safer for kids now because of these heightened levels of protection, or if it's just a coincidence. Either way, combined with higher levels of anxiety, it's no wonder they'd throw in the towel if they had to live the youth of their parents.
Sorry, but they aren't about to get mugged!
4. Getting around without GPS
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Younger generations get a lot of undeserved grief over being over-protected and having it easy. However, one thing that's lowkey true is they wouldn't survive without GPS. A quick trip to the store five minutes away? No problem. Being forced to read a map while traveling a long distance (or pretty much anywhere in Los Angeles with a Thomas Guide)? Count them out.
It isn't all their fault. Schools aren't prioritizing geography. For instance, in the USA, only 17 states require any geography study during high school. This is why they can't get around without a GPS. Not because they're stupid, but because the curriculum has failed them.
5. Riding bikes for hours and hours
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Nobody blinked an eye when they saw a child riding around the neighborhood with zero supervision in the 70s and 80s. In fact, it was expected that kids would hop on their bikes and go explore for hours on end. Trusting in their neighbors, parents didn't stress about their children's whereabouts.
However, life's changed since then. Now, young people can't survive wandering around their neighborhood freely. According to Dr. Cara Goodwin, parents and kids today experience higher anxiety than past generations and it's not necessarily useful.
Highly cautious of their surroundings, they wouldn't dare bike unless someone came along with them. Call them paranoid, but with the popularity of true crime documentaries and online sleuth videos, do you blame them? On top of all that, the sheer number of hours their Gen X parents rode bikes is basically inconceivable!
6. Sharing one TV screen with the entire family
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TVs aren't a luxury anymore. With the low prices and easy setups, most young people have more than one in their homes. If not, they watch their phones or tablets for entertainment when their parents watch something boring.
In the age of technology, nobody's gotta rage when their little brother changes the channel in the middle of their favorite show or stomp around the living room when Mom forces them to watch Dynasty or Dallas when they'd rather be watching the Tonight Show.
Using their phones, families don't have to watch TV together. Sure, it's nice to every family night, however, sharing isn't a common occurrence and that's why they wouldn't last five minutes in the living room of their parent's childhood.
7. Waiting days or weeks to see the photos they took
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Obviously, smart phones didn't exist in the 70s and 80s, but most kids today don't realize there weren't even digital cameras when their parents were kids!
Back then, their parents had to carry a film camera if they wanted to capture the moment. And while this doesn't sound horrifying, something young people today couldn't survive was the time it took for pictures to develop. They also might totally freak out if they ran out of film (yes, that was a thing that could happen in their parents' youth, and often did!).
While taking the picture was quick, development took days or weeks after dropping it off at a film developing center. In the 1970s and early 80s, that meant going to a shop or maybe dropping the exposed film canisters off at a drive-through kiosk like a Fox Photo.
While this would stress out Gen Z big time, there was an upside for their parents: the fun and surprise of getting to see their photos for the very first time. Flipping through that stack of pics was one of the highlights of Gen X's young life.
8. Walking all the way to school or a friends house alone
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The school bus was often around, however, this doesn't mean it was always used. Gen X kids had to live awfully far away to qualify for it. Unlike young people nowadays who depend on cars or buses, these kids were used to walking. They didn't care how long it took.
A thirty-minute walk? They didn't sweat it. Walking is just what Gen X did, no matter how shocking it is to their Gen Z kids.
The world was more accessible back then. With plenty of sidewalks and nosy neighbors keeping watch, it wasn't considered bizarre to let your kid waltz around unattended. These days, a parent who lets their kids walk alone or play outside unsupervised may even get in trouble with the law.
9. Waiting for their favorite song to play on the radio
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Young people nowadays have it easy when it comes to music. The job market may be tough and college education is more expensive than ever, but all of Gen Z's favorite music is available immediately and on-demand.
Thanks to technology, listening to a brand new album or playing a favorite song on repeat isn't complicated. With the power of YouTube and Spotify and everything else, people aren't waiting around twiddling their thumbs hoping the local DJ might decide to play their favorite tune.
Yet, while this sounds good on paper, it does lead to an intolerance for waiting. Because they're used to having quick access, they probably wouldn't survive waiting for their favorite song to play on the radio.
Even if they made a cassette tape, young people would still be forced to spend hours using two different tape decks (or a record player and a tape deck!) to create the playlist of their dreams
10. Rewinding VHS tapes before watching or returning them
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Kids in the 70s and 80s couldn't enjoy their movies or shows in peace. They didn't have Disney+ or Netflix kids so if they wanted to watch a film, they'd better get comfortable waiting! Either they had to find a VHS tape at home, which would inevitably require a few minutes of rewinding from the end just to get it back to the start.
If you didn't have the movie at home, you headed out to Blockbuster (and, if you were a kid, you probably had to wait for your parents to get home to take you) and chose from whatever videos they have left. When you were done watching, you had to rewind it before returning or you'd face a fee.
This is why young people would crash out. With a simple slide on their phone, young people no longer have to waste precious minutes fussing with tape like their parents did.
Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a bachelor's degree in psychology who covers self-help, relationships, career, family, and astrology topics.
