Childhood Then and Now: 90s Kids vs. Kids of Today

3 min read By eCompareMo on

Innovation cannot be helped as time fleets fast. With all the constant changes, you feel old and become reminiscent of how things were when you were small and innocent. The children of the 90s take pride to have witnessed the flourishing of multiculturalism and the bourgeoning of pop culture. Alongside the trends, youths during the particular era had a different idea of fun childhood in mind. Social media posts with hash tags such as #WaybackWednesday, #ThrowbackThursday, and #FlashbackFriday radiates a nostalgic vibe and triggers a comparison of then and now. This leads them to say: “iba noong panahon namin” (or “it’s different in my time”). If you are a Pinoy 90s kid, you can definitely agree that the kids of today have an entirely different scenario of youth.

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Let’s hop on a time travel and look at both eras of childhood.

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    Child’s play

    90s kids had a balance of street and gizmo life. On dog days of summer, boys used to play with teks, pog, and turumpo outside, while girls leaped and skipped on their Chinese garters, dressed their paper dolls, and toyed with jackstones. Back then, you have the bragging rights at school and in the neighborhood if you own a Brick Game, Tamagochi, or a Gameboy. 90s was the time when the early generation of PlayStation and Family Computer were deemed ‘in’. The generation of kids today play like this: hands on the controller, eyes on the monitor. Their forms of amusement are heavily relied on electronic gadgets and computer games.

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    Afternoon TV habits

    Kids of the 90s era tune in to more educational and child-friendly television shows like Batibot and Sineskwela. Before, days were well-plotted just so their favorite shows were not missed. They made sure their school works were all accomplished for their parents to allow them to watch TV. Kids of today are able to view whatever interests them through their laptop, tablet, or mobile. They are also not bothered to miss an episode as videos are available online via streaming or download. The other side of the coin of technology, however, is that children today are highly exposed to shows that are not suitable for their age.

  • Music madness

    Pop music scene has a different light, too. Once upon a time, kids and teens adored Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, and Spice Girls. 90s kids used to listen to their heart-felt songs on cassette tapes. It takes minutes of effort to press rewind and forward to catch your favorite tracks. Romantics dedicated playlists of love songs on mixtapes. Patience was truly a virtue before as you have to wait for the radio to play your favorite song. Back then you were lucky if your parents buy you a CD. Today, listening to music is as easy as plug and play. Kids use mp3 players and mobile phones for access to music. They can also stream and discover music of various genres through mobile applications. Similar to the concern on TV shows, kids today are exposed to songs with explicit contents.

Parents of the 90s kids would agree that amusement for children today is significantly much expensive and risky than years before. Kids today entertain themselves by utilizing the technology of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and game consoles with easy access to all media without prohibitions. 90s kids simply enjoyed their yards and streets toying with improvised materials and cheap playthings with the company of playmates.

Tips for Modern Parents

Encourage your children to stay active by letting them socialize with other children through engaging in sports activities and playing outdoor games. Importantly, manage your children’s use of technology and social media. Enable parental control options on their gadgets.

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eCompareMo

eCompareMo eCompareMo is the No. 1 financial e-commerce site in the Philippines. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @ecomparemo.