20 Things Teens Did in The 90s They Don’t Do Now

There are at least 20 things teens did in the 90s they don’t do now, and in some ways, we were far better off. Of course, nostalgia is helping some habits to return.

Go anywhere without a phone

It’s true, some people do manage to do without their phone for a few minutes. But in the 90s we didn’t have them as often, so it was easier to go somewhere without needing to look at your phone every five minutes.

Memorize phone numbers

How often do you memorize a phone number these days? It’s simpler to just plug it into your phone and not bother with it after that, right?

Go to someone’s house to see if they want to hang out

Sure, some old-school individuals still do this. But when it’s easier to Facetime someone there are plenty of teens who will still forego the ‘exhausting’ need to travel more than a block.

Wait for CDs or movies to come out

Does anyone remember waiting for movies to release in the stores, or CDs that were hyped up so often? That release date couldn’t come soon enough.

Find a place to store CDs, tapes, or movies

Remember those CD and movie racks that took up so much space and were usually shoddy as hell or could withstand a nuclear blast? There were tons of different designs, but most of them were kind of tough to fit into a corner.

Purchase an album for one song

Yes, plenty of us did this in the past, and amazingly we did find that there were other cool songs on the album. Hell, this is one of the reasons why I came to like the Foo Fighters back in the day.

Spend weekends and days off at the mall

It’s true, some people have done this for a while and taught their kids the wonder of the mall. But in some ways, malls are ghost towns compared to what they used to be unless it’s the holidays.

Make romantic mix tapes

This is one trend that feels like it’s best left in the 90s for a lot of reasons. In one way, it was a reason for creepy, lovestruck movie sidekicks to try and tell their crush that they were into them, in true incel fashion.

Create goofy email addresses

Some people still do this since some of the email handles out there are insane and hearken back to the days of AOL. Thankfully, a lot of younger folks might say ‘AOL’ without comprehending what it is.

Plan their time around their favorite TV shows

Yes, there was a time when you couldn’t just access a streaming service. We had to make sure that we were in front of the TV on time to watch our favorite shows, or possibly set the VCR if we knew how.

Carry a pager

Ah, yes, the thrill of getting a page and having to find a phone soon after. The genius that revolutionized the cell phone did away with the necessity for these quickly.

Joining random chat rooms online

This isn’t entirely a thing of the past since plenty of people get online without knowing who they’re speaking with. But at the same time, there are a lot more security measures these days than there used to be.

Standing in line for concert tickets

Some people still do this, but not often. Thanks to online ticket sales the necessity of sitting out in the weather or camping online is reserved specifically for Black Friday, and even that is starting to go away.

Purchase multiple magazine subscriptions

Are magazines still a thing these days? Sure they are, but with online publications, it’s easier to pick and choose the issues you want, rather than get a whole subscription.

Carry a wallet full of discount cards

Some people barely even keep a wallet these days, let alone discount cards. It does feel as though Generation X and even Millennials are the last people to really do this.

Buy bottled coffee drinks

If it’s not fresh then it’s not good, right? That wasn’t the feeling in the 90s. Teens would ingest these bottled coffee drinks by the case sometimes.

Using disposable cameras

Hey, they’re cheap and efficient, and they don’t take much skill to use. But now that our phones can do pretty much everything it’s fair to state that these cameras are severely outdated.

Wearing a lot of silver jewelry

Chrome, silver, and bright stuff like this were popular back in the 90s. It’s a matter of personal taste, but stainless steel jewelry wasn’t quite as popular yet.

Have a stockpile of blank VHS cassettes

Taping TV shows and movies was still a big thing back in the 90s. I still remember taping The Stand miniseries with Gary Sinise and yes, Molly Ringwald.

Going to Blockbuster for the new hit movie that just came out

On a rainy day, a weekend, for a sleepover, a friendly get-together, or just because you wanted to watch a movie. There wasn’t a big need for a reason to rent a movie.