If you were a child in the ‘90s and early 2000s, you know that things were just different. The internet existed, but it was still a place you could go to, not something that ruled your life. Maybe you had cable TV, but there was no such thing as streaming. You could meet up with a friend on a warm summer day, get on your bike, and discover a world of adventure—sure, your parents probably had no idea where you were, but that was part of the fun.
There were a lot of things we did back in the day that simply don’t happen anymore. Technology has changed childhood in a big way, and kids are more supervised and scheduled than they were 20 to 30 years ago. They have less time to be bored and get creative with their play and socialization. Sleepovers are less popular, and don’t get me started on how much snacks have changed since I was a kid!
Millennials will likely tell you that they grew up in the absolute best time to be a kid, and I’d have to agree—despite the fact that some of the things we did in our downtime were legitimately dangerous and make me cringe when I think back on them. But as a parent myself, my hope is that my child gets to experience some of the same adventures, even if it stresses me out.
Ahead, revisit some of the wildest ‘90s and ‘00s activities that might send today’s younger generations of parents up the wall.
Less-than-Safe Playground Equipment
Every time I take my son to a local playground, I marvel at a) how nice and b) how safe the equipment is, comparing it to my own childhood playground, which was basically made entirely out of metal and wood. On hot days, the slides would be scorching hot, and in the winter, they’d get slick, essentially turning into an ice luge for kids to fly down.
Then there was all the wood, AKA splinter city; I have visceral memories of being whipped around on an ancient merry-go-round by the “big kids.” And why did so many playground structures have open platforms from which to jump? Why were we jumping off a twelve-foot-plus structure? It was all so much fun, but I’m glad my son never has to zip down a slide that feels like the surface of the sun!
Running Wild Unsupervised
The lack of cell phones and AirTags in the ‘90s and early 2000s meant that it was easier to avoid parental supervision. Kids were more “free range,” so to speak, and had more independence and freedom to ride around on their bikes, explore the neighborhood, and get into all sorts of adventures.
While safety is obviously very important and it’s helpful to know where your kids are and how to get in touch with them, some argue that today’s kids are too supervised and don’t have enough freedom to explore, and that some of the magic of childhood is lost with the 24/7 surveillance of digital devices.
Randomly Showing Up at a Friend’s House
Remember going to visit a friend without any pre-planning? No texts, no phone calls, no IMs—just walking over to their house, knocking on the door, and hanging out together? This is, sadly, a lost art; now everything is an elaborate ballet of calling, texting, and planning, with little room for spontaneity.
Flying Down the Stairs in a Laundry Basket
OK, kids may still do this today, but it was absolutely a treasured rite of passage in the ‘90s and 2000s. You’d swipe a laundry basket or large cardboard box from your parents and ride down the stairs in it, crash-landing at the bottom. At a sleepover during my tween years, we took this concept up a notch and tried using sleeping bags, which was equally thrilling. How did we not break bones doing this?
Watching Any Movie You Wanted at Sleepovers
Remember the first time a friend introduced a PG-13 or R-rated movie at a sleepover? It felt so shocking and forbidden, which made the experience all the more thrilling. Parental controls did not exist in the ‘90s!
Playing With Semi-Dangerous Toys
The safety standards in the ‘90s were a liiiiiittle different than they are today, and many ‘90s toys would definitely not appear on shelves now.
Did you ever trip yourself with a Skip-It, or give your friend a black eye with a Sock ‘Em Bopper? I had a friend who got a Sky Dancer doll stuck in her hair. Then there were the gym class scooters, which were basically just a flat plastic surface and four wheels of death that would send you careening across the gym floor, often crushing your fingers in the process.
Eating the Least Healthy Snacks in the World
Surge. EZ Squirt colorful ketchup. Kudos granola bars covered in M&Ms. The snacks of the ‘90s and early 2000s were so fun and delicious…and the exact opposite of healthy. (Why were we eating cookies as breakfast cereal?) Who knows what was even in them: high fructose corn syrup, dyes in every color of the rainbow, so much chocolate. RIP, Fruitopia!
Exploring All Sorts of Wild Destinations
Walking down the train tracks. Playing in a junkyard. Hanging out in the woods. Sneaking out to explore the neighborhood at night. Country kids playing in the barn. It was so much fun to grab a few friends and see where the day would take you, especially if there was an element of risk involved.
Turning the Trampoline into an Olympic Sport
So many ‘90s and 2000s kids had trampolines; they were the coolest, most fun outdoor activity you could possibly imagine, and they were packed with adventurous possibilities.
Case in point: when I was a kid, back before trampolines came with a safety net, we’d slick our trampoline down with shampoo, turn on the hose, and slide around on it—clearly a very safe activity! We’d come up with all sorts of games and competitions, cover the trampoline in ice cubes (??) and leap around, and even tried to launch from the trampoline into our above-ground pool. (Do not try this at home, friends.)
Rickety Amusement Parks
Did you ever hop on a ride at your local county fair or small-time amusement park and think, “I am definitely not secured enough on this ride?” Same. Maybe the equipment was old, maybe it wasn’t set up to the utmost safety parameters…but that thrill was part of the fun.
Playing Video Games or Watching TV Alllllll Day Long
The words “screen time” hadn’t yet been invented, and if your parents worked outside of the home during summer break, there was a high chance that you’d just sit and play Nintendo 64, build worlds in the Sims, or watch MTV from the moment you woke up until your parents came home. Oops!
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