If a Kid From Today Went Back to the ’60s, What Would Be the Hardest Thing to Get Used To?
Imagine taking a child from today and dropping them into an ordinary home in the 1960s.
No smartphone. No Wi-Fi. No streaming. No video calls. No Google. No GPS. No instant messages.
At first, they might think it was exciting—almost like stepping into another world. But after the novelty wore off, some everyday things would probably be surprisingly difficult to adjust to.
The 1960s weren’t simply a time before modern technology. They were a period when technology, entertainment, shopping, transportation, and family life were changing rapidly. (Archives nationales)
So here’s the question:
If a child from today could spend one week living like a child in the 1960s, what would be the hardest thing for them to get used to?
📵 1. No Smartphone
This would probably be the biggest shock.
Today, a phone can be a camera, television, map, game console, music player, encyclopedia, alarm clock, calculator, and communication device all in one.
In the 1960s, none of that existed in anything remotely resembling today’s form.
Even having a telephone in the house was different. It was generally a shared household device rather than a personal object carried around in someone’s pocket. Some phones were rotary-dial models, meaning you physically turned a dial to call a number. (ABC News)
Want to call a friend?
You couldn’t simply send a text.
You had to use the telephone—or go see them.
📺 2. Waiting for Your Favorite TV Show
Imagine telling a child:
“You can’t watch your favorite show whenever you want. You have to wait until it’s actually on.”
That was normal.
Television was becoming increasingly important during the 1960s, but programming was scheduled. There was no Netflix, YouTube, or streaming library waiting for you.
In many homes, the television was a major gathering point for the family. (HELLO!)
And when the program ended?
You couldn’t simply press a button and watch another episode.
You waited.
📚 3. No Internet for Homework
A child today can type a question into a search engine and find thousands of answers almost instantly.
A child in the 1960s had to use books, teachers, libraries, encyclopedias, newspapers, and other printed resources.
That meant research could take considerably longer.
Even classroom technology was very different. Some schools used things such as overhead or projected materials, radio broadcasts, and specialized reading equipment. (schoolhousemuseum.org.au)
And there was no copy-and-paste.
If you needed information, you actually had to read it and write it down.
🛴 4. More Independence—and More Responsibility
One of the biggest differences might not be technological at all.
Children in many places had considerably more freedom to travel around their neighborhoods independently.
Historical accounts describe children riding bicycles, using public transportation, running errands, and getting around without parents constantly accompanying them. (Parcs Nationaux USA)
A child from today might be surprised to hear:
“Go to the store and come back before dinner.”
No tracking app.
No text message saying, “Where are you?”
Just a watch and a promise to be home on time.
🧸 5. Entertainment Without a Screen in Your Hand
Children certainly had toys and games in the 1960s.
There were building toys, board games, bicycles, dolls, action figures, sports, puzzles, and countless outdoor activities. (Archives nationales)
But entertainment wasn’t available 24 hours a day through a pocket-sized screen.
If you were bored, you had to do something about it.
Go outside.
Ride a bike.
Play ball.
Visit a friend.
Build something.
Play a board game.
Make up a game.
Or simply sit around talking.
And honestly, that might be one of the hardest adjustments for a modern child.
☎️ 6. You Couldn’t Instantly Reach Everyone
Imagine making plans with a friend without texting them.
You might call their house and ask:
“Is Sarah home?”
Then you could be told:
“She’s outside.”
And that was it.
No location sharing.
No “I’m five minutes away.”
No group chat.
No instant confirmation.
Plans sometimes depended on people simply showing up when they said they would.
🛒 7. Shopping Was Different
The 1960s also saw major changes in how people bought food and household goods.
Supermarkets were becoming increasingly common in some countries, allowing families to buy many types of groceries in one place. (Archives nationales)
But there was obviously no online shopping.
You couldn’t order dinner from your phone.
You couldn’t have groceries delivered to your doorstep with a few taps.
If you wanted something, you went to a store.
And if the store didn’t have it?
You didn’t immediately order it from somewhere else.
🧺 8. Household Chores Could Be Much More Hands-On
Modern homes contain appliances that save enormous amounts of time.
During the 1960s, household appliances were becoming increasingly common and were changing everyday life, but access and convenience varied considerably from one household to another. (Archives nationales)
Washing machines, refrigerators, electric appliances and other conveniences were increasingly part of modern homes.
But many chores still required more physical effort than they do today.
A child accustomed to machines doing almost everything might wonder:
“Why does this take so long?”
📻 9. Music Wasn’t Instantly Available
Today, a child can ask for virtually any song and hear it within seconds.
Back then, music was much more dependent on radio, records, tapes as they became available, and other physical formats.
Portable transistor radios became an important new technology because they allowed people to take music with them rather than being tied to a large home radio. (HELLO!)
But you couldn’t create a playlist of 500 songs and shuffle it.
You listened to what was available.
🕰️ 10. Waiting Was Simply Part of Life
Perhaps this is the biggest difference of all.
Modern life has trained us to expect immediate results.
Messages arrive instantly.
Movies start instantly.
Information appears instantly.
Food can be ordered instantly.
Directions are calculated instantly.
In the 1960s, waiting was normal.
You waited for a letter.
You waited for a television program.
You waited for a telephone call.
You waited for photographs to be developed.
You waited for the next issue of a magazine.
You waited for your favorite song to come on the radio.
And somehow, people still managed to fill their days.
🌎 The 1960s Weren’t the Same Everywhere
It’s important to remember that there wasn’t one universal “1960s childhood.”
Life differed enormously depending on country, city, rural area, family income, race, culture, and access to technology.
Even within the same country, one family might have a television, refrigerator, washing machine and car while another family had far fewer conveniences.
For example, historical sources on 1960s Britain note that although modern appliances were becoming widespread, some homes still lacked hot water or private toilets. (Archives nationales)
So nostalgia shouldn’t turn the decade into a perfect picture.
There were wonderful things about growing up then, but there were also genuine hardships and inequalities.
❤️ What Might Surprise a Modern Child Most?
It might not be the rotary phone.
It might not be the television.
It might not even be the lack of internet.
It could simply be how much time people spent waiting, talking, playing, traveling, and figuring things out without instant technology.
A child might initially complain:
“There’s nothing to do!”
Then, five minutes later, they might be outside riding a bicycle.
They might knock on a friend’s door.
They might invent a game.
They might sit around the kitchen while adults talked.
And eventually, they might discover something that modern life sometimes makes difficult:
being bored doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unhappy.
Sometimes boredom is where imagination begins.
💭 Now It’s Your Turn
If you could send a child from today back to the 1960s for one week, what do you think would be the hardest thing for them to get used to?
📱 No smartphones?
🌐 No internet?
📺 No streaming?
☎️ One shared telephone?
🛒 No online shopping?
🎮 No modern video games?
⏰ Having to wait for almost everything?
Or would it be something completely different?
Tell us what you think in the comments!
