Growing Up in the 90s: Freedom and Adventure

When I think about the 90s, I can’t help but feel like it was one of the best times to grow up. There was a simplicity to life that’s hard to find today. The internet was just beginning to take shape—no endless social media feeds, no constant notifications. Logging onto the internet back then felt like stepping into a new world, chatting with strangers in early chat rooms, downloading grainy videos, and exploring the handful of websites that existed. It was thrilling, but it didn’t consume us.

Most of my time as a kid wasn’t spent online, though. I was outside—roaming the mountains of eastern San Diego County where I grew up. I’d ride my bike and three-wheeler everywhere, completely free to explore. By today’s standards, I was hyper-independent, something that feels almost unimaginable now. I was 10 years old, sometimes younger, wandering through nature with no cell phone or way for my mom to know where I was. And that was normal.

Nowadays, it seems like so much of kids’ lives are spent “plugged in,” glued to screens. We’ve forgotten what it feels like to live fully in the moment, without the constant hum of the internet in the background. For me, the 90s were all about freedom, independence, and a thirst for adventure. We were the last generation to experience the innocence of being a kid before technology took over.

I look at how things have changed and can’t help but feel like each generation since the 90s has grown softer, more dependent on technology just to get by. It’s crazy to think it was only 30 years ago, but the world is completely different now. I imagine people who grew up in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s feel the same nostalgia for their childhood, but something about the 90s feels particularly special.

The further we’ve come, the more it seems like we’ve lost. We’ve become more controlled, more “connected,” yet things feel more chaotic. The innocence and freedom of the 90s feel distant, and it’s hard not to feel lucky to have experienced it firsthand.

The nostalgia is real, and I can’t help but feel sorry for the kids today who may never know that kind of freedom. They’ll never experience what it’s like to be truly disconnected, fully present, and alive with a sense of adventure. The 90s may be gone, but the memories of that simpler time live on.

Cheers – Adam Niall