17 Things Kids Today Wouldn’t Understand About Growing Up Without the Internet
A nostalgic dive into the analog childhood of pre-Internet days, where mix tapes, payphones, and Saturday morning cartoons ruled a world that today’s kids might never believe existed.
- Alyana Aguja
- 6 min read
Before the Internet rewired the fabric of daily life, coming of age was all about navigating a world of paper maps, cassette recordings, and rotary telephones — where patience, ingenuity, and analog tradition governed every experience. From waiting all week to see your favorite television show to assembling the ultimate mix tape by taping songs off the radio, childhood was a slower, more hands-on journey. This list delves into 17 real, honest moments of that pre-plugged era.
1. Waiting for Your Favorite Song on the Radio
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You’d sit by the radio for hours, holding a cassette tape in the deck, finger poised over the record button, hoping the DJ wouldn’t talk over the intro. Radio countdown programs like American Top 40 with Casey Kasem were auditory holy orders. To miss it meant waiting an entire week again.
2. Looking Things Up in an Encyclopedia
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Prior to Wikipedia, we used World Book or Britannica encyclopedias. They were thick, pricey book sets that families proudly placed on shelves. Studying meant thumbing through volumes alphabetically. If your subject wasn’t addressed in what you had, you were out of luck — off to the library you went.
3. Getting Lost and Using a Paper Map
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No Google Maps existed, only fold-out maps at gas stations or Rand McNally atlases. People stored them in glove compartments, and road trips came with a navigator who was not always great at directions. If you did wrong, you had best hope that you could locate a payphone or a helpful gas station attendant.
4. Film to Develop to Get Your Photos
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You couldn’t immediately view your selfie — photos were shot using film rolls with 12, 24, or 36 exposures. Once you ran out of exposures, you dropped the roll at the pharmacy or photo shop and waited days to know whether your photos even came out. Surprise double shots and cut-off heads were just the norm.
5. Creating Mix Tapes from the Radio
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Making the ideal playlist involved taping songs off the radio with a cassette recorder and pressing “pause” in between songs so as not to get commercials. Timing was crucial. The result was a cumbersome, lovingly made work of art, sometimes presented as presents to friends or crushes.
6. Waiting All Week for a New TV Episode
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No binge-watching — shows came on once a week, and if you missed it, you were waiting for a rerun. Thursday nights on NBC (Friends and Seinfeld) were appointment viewing. Folks planned social lives around shows because there was no DVR, no streaming, just a schedule and your undivided attention.
7. Making a Call from a Payphone
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Children memorized phone numbers or scribbled them down in phone books. If you needed a ride, you’d call from a payphone with quarters, or reverse the charges. Collect calls began with “Will you accept a call from: MomI’mreadycomegetme?”
8. Dial-Up Internet and the Busy Signal Wars
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Even when the Internet finally came, it crept in over a hiss-screech dial-up tone and occupied your landline. Your connection dropped if someone picked up the phone during a download. Computer time was fought over like it was holy, and chat rooms were the Wild West.
9. Having to Talk to Your Friend’s Parents First
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If you wanted to chat or hang out with your friend, you needed to call their home, and their mom or dad most likely answered. You picked up on phone manners in a hurry: “Hello, may I speak with Jason, please?” No texting, no Snapchat — just guts and courtesy.
10. Renting Movies from a Video Store
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Going to Blockbuster or the local VHS shop was a whole experience: browsing aisles, reading box blurbs, and hoping the last copy of Jurassic Park was still available. Late fees were real and ruthless. Rewinding tapes (“Be Kind, Rewind!”) was expected, or you’d be scolded.
11. Passing Notes in Class
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Prior to texting, students used to write secret messages on folded notebook paper and pass them under books or desks. Folds of style — such as the triangle or accordion — were an entire subculture. Teachers took them away, and reading them out loud was a recognized punishment.
12. Using a Pencil to Rewind a Cassette Tape
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When your tape was chewed up, you’d wind the spools back in place using a pencil gently, so you didn’t break the tape. It was buffering from the old days. Also, for goodness’ sake, don’t let your Walkman batteries run out in the middle of a song.
13. Browsing through the Yellow Pages for Everything
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Want pizza delivery? Need a plumber? You’d open a giant, yellow phonebook and flip to the appropriate category — businesses were listed alphabetically by service. Ads were bold, boxy, and sometimes had clip art or cartoon mascots to catch your eye.
14. Playing Outside Until the Streetlights Came On
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There were no text check-ins — parents simply waited for you to be back by dinner or dark. Kids played tag, climbed trees, rode bicycles, and used imagination for hours without the aid of a screen. The world seemed larger, and getting bored made you think.
15. Cartoons on Saturday Mornings Only
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Saturday mornings were off-limits because that was when all the great cartoons played—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Smurfs, and Looney Tunes. You got up early with a cereal bowl and sat in front of the television. Sleep through it, and you would miss out. There was no rerun.
16. Using a Real Dictionary or Thesaurus
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Spell-check didn’t exist. You had to take out a physical dictionary or Roget’s Thesaurus and search through infinitesimal text to locate a word. Children learned to alphabetize in no time or got nowhere with their homework.
17. Waiting for the Mail to Hear from Someone
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Pen pals were a thing, and writing letters was a slow but treasured ritual. You’d decorate the envelope, attach a stamp, and wait a week or more for a reply. Love letters, chain letters, and even club membership forms came via snail mail and felt magical.