The 1980s were a unique time to grow up, filled with a blend of technology, culture, and daily rituals that felt both innovative and nostalgic. From the distinctive sounds of mixtapes to the glow of tube TVs, the habits of childhood in that era were unlike anything we experience today. While some of those customs have evolved, others have quietly disappeared into the past, replaced by new conveniences and technologies.
Gone are the days of dialing up the internet on a landline or spending hours in front of an arcade machine. Instead, we now live in an era of instant connectivity and on-demand entertainment. These simple, yet memorable moments defined a generation, shaping the way we interacted with the world. So, grab your neon windbreaker, dust off your cassette collection, and walk with us through this journey of the past, where the world was a little slower, a lot more hands-on, and full of quirky traditions that still bring a smile today. Here are 20 habits kids in the 80s had, but are slowly fading away.
1. Garage bands
If you grew up in the ’80s there’s a good chance you thought you’d be the next big rock star. Garage gigs brought an unmatched energy to the 1980s.
2. Mixing mixtapes
There was no way to say “I love you” like a mixtape carefully curated from songs on the radio. Who remembers waiting for the DJ to stop talking to record?
3. Riding bikes everywhere
If you wanted to visit your friend who lived two miles across town, you would get peddling. Kids today get rides everywhere.
4. Using a Walkman
Forget the AirPods, the Walkman was your portable stereo system. The worst part about these was having to listen to every song in full, even the unbearable ones.
5. Playing with action figures
Action figures weren’t just toys, they were tiny soldiers in a never-ending war in your living room. With today’s technology, kids are more likely to be swinging around a tablet rather than an action figure.
6. Reading comic books
Comic books and comic book stores are filled with that irresistible smell of nostalgia. Even if you didn’t read a single word, the pages would still draw you in.
7. Using payphones
If you were out at the park with some friends, the only way to call Mom was to use the payphone.
8. Watching VHS tapes
Who remembers that moment of pure terror when the VCR would eat the VHS tape? The worst part of watching a movie was the need to rewind the tape afterward.
9. Reading the newspaper
The daily ritual: Dad had his coffee and the paper, and you got to steal the comics section. Today, you rarely see kids reading the paper.
10. Using a floppy disk
Homework, projects, and games were safely stored on a floppy disk, which you had to carry around like it was your most prized possession. If you lost it, it felt like losing a part of yourself.
11. Going to arcades
Kids today still get to experience arcades, but they’re slowly dying. In the ’80s, any bit of allowance would go straight to the pinball machines.
12. Using a typewriter
With the rise of personal computers and word processing software, typewriters slowly became obsolete in the late ’80s, but some people still had to take that miserable typewriting class.
13. Saturday morning cartoons
Kids today don’t appreciate the luxury of being able to watch cartoons at any given moment. In the ’80s, you had to wait until Saturday to see your favorite families like the Flintstones or the Jetsons.
14. Trading CDs and tapes
Trading mixtapes and burned CDs unfortunately is now a thing of the past. If you were lucky, you’d get a customized tape with all your favorite songs.
15. Using a hardwired VCR remote
In the ’80s there was none of this wireless Bluetooth business. You used to have to physically get up to rewind or change the channel on the VCR, something the kids of today couldn’t imagine.
16. Using landlines
The family phone was the only phone, and there was always a battle for who gets to use it. If you were lucky, you had a 20-foot cord to walk around the house and chat.
17. Using a map
If you didn’t know how to get somewhere, you had to rely on the old-fashioned paper map, which would for some reason never fold back into its original form. There was no such thing as a passive passenger, if you were riding with your Mom, you were the navigator.
18. Ding-Dong-Ditch
Thankfully, with the rise of doorbell cameras, kids today don’t play this as much. As for the ’80s, I can’t say the same. Every family was a victim of a ding-dong-ditch prank at least once.
19. Penpals
Whether it was a friend who moved or a cousin who was the same age, pen pals were one of the most exciting pastimes of the ’80s. If your school was cool you could find a pen pal from another country to write to.
20. Writing in cursive
Kids in the ’80s wrote everything in cursive. Whether it was a letter to a friend or a note on a birthday card, Mom was making sure you were writing in cursive.
