20 ways summers in the ‘90s differ from today

This is not to say a modern-day child has never stepped foot outside, but compared to how often millennials and those from Gen X spent outside? It’s vastly different. Back in the ‘90s, a kid would wake up, blast through a bowl of cereal, and be out the door by 9 a.m. They’d return for lunch (maybe), but for the most part, they’d be out having adventures until the sun decided to call it a day. Today, it’s more about being outside for a purpose, like filming something to try and go viral or playing inside in a virtual world with no real-life connections.

Barbie and Oppenheimer felt like a throwback to when people got excited to go to the movies, but that’s how it was every summer of the ‘90s because back then, studios couldn’t just dump a film on a streaming platform and call it a day. Nope, summer Blockbusters were larger-than-life releases that usually meant a tie-in with a sweet McDonald’s Happy Meal toy. Now, maybe one or two movies will own the box office during the summer months, and none of them will give way to cool toys collected via fast food eateries.

Road trips aren’t dead and gone. It was just more of an adventure back in the ‘90s when GPS wasn’t the norm, and the only thing that could keep a kid from talking to their family in the backseat was a Walkman. Once upon a time, families had to utilize maps and actually speak to one another on long car rides — wild concept.

Today, parents are tracking their kids like Amazon packages. There was none of that in the ‘90s. Parents were lucky if they got a phone call.

There were definitely days in the ‘90s when one would find a group of kids in a basement huddled around a video game console, but at some point, a parent would kick said kids out for using up too much electricity or eating all the snacks. Now, iPads and phones are like extensions for children, giving them more access to gaming than ever before.

There are still trips to Target and parents yelling about the cost of shoes in stores, but the internet has cut down the amount of time people need to spend shopping in person.

Nothing beats an up-and-coming musician or a TV or film cast taking over the local mall's center for a promo tour. Now, people are just one "hawk tuah" away from going viral and don’t have to work that hard to get their name out there. Oh, and malls aren’t really the hottest destination anymore.

Doesn’t it feel like the popularity of summer camps fell off after the early ‘00s? They had an uptick due to Lindsay Lohan’s Oscar-worthy performance in 1998’s The Parent Trap and then sort of dropped off the radar.

Music fanatics of the ‘90s dedicated a lot of their free time in the summer locked in while listening to the radio, trying desperately to hit record at the exact right time to finish their “Loving Life in ‘95” mixtape. Now, music is one click away via streaming.

Before the internet was around to warn of the dangers lurking around every potential health hazard, children weren’t just free to drink from the hose. They were required to because most parents told them not to come back inside unless necessary. Imagine telling a child today to drink from a hose. They’d look at you crazy with their pricey Stanley Cup in hand.

The convenience of being able to just pop on one’s TV and browse through an endless amount of movies via streaming services has its perks. For one, not leaving the couch and its warm embrace. However, the excitement of walking into a store that has nothing but walls of movies to pick and choose from was a thrill that many took for granted. Plus, having to pay money to watch a rental puts more pressure on one to actually watch the movie instead of just streaming one and then paying more attention to scrolling on the phone the whole time.

Social media has caused people to yearn for documenting every second of every day of their lives now, even the not-so-great moments. Thankfully, the most common camera — the disposable kind — wasn't the best at snapping every aspect of the day. Nor did anyone really carry a camera around at that length to catch the stupidity and naivety of summer.

Whether it was back home to family at camp, to a friend over vacation while a few states away, or just to grandma to ensure a birthday present would be extra sweet, letters used to be something kids took the time to write. Even when the phone came to be, people still took the time to pen a note. It’d be nearly impossible to find someone writing a letter today when they could just as easily hit someone up via text, email, or DM.

Getting dropped off at the mall in the early afternoon meant Sbarros for lunch, walking in circles trying to flirt as best as possible at 15, and then maybe a movie before waiting by the payphone for a ride home. Malls would still probably be a cool place to hang out if they were as glorious as they once were. Now, malls are shells of the past, with Hollister storefronts abandoned and escape rooms in their place. Malls are around, but they have fallen from the premier hangout spot mountaintop.

Being able to catch The Price is Right every day during the summer was stellar, but nothing compared to playing outside all day.

It’s hard to believe that arcades used to be regular mainstays in towns across the US. Now, people play online.

Before things like Facebook and apps like Nextdoor made people question their neighbors, people actually conversed regularly and even partied with those who lived on their block. Today, a mere lawn sign can place a wedge between neighbors, making a block party situation awkward.

Television shows used to have a set schedule. They’d debut in the fall and wrap up right before summer. Then, on the rare occasion fans would get lucky when shows like Saved by the Bell aired a summer special that took place outside their regular setting. Oh, the things that would excite people back then.

Setting up a projector in a backyard can be fun, but there’s nothing like sitting in the car and watching a new (or classic) movie on a giant screen underneath the stars with other moviegoers.

Parents couldn’t text their kids to come home, and what kid wore a watch regularly? The only way kids knew their time outside had ended for the day was when the streetlights popped on. It was like the Bat Signal that dinner awaited.