60 Things That’ll Make Millennials Feel Old
Being a millennial has both benefits and drawbacks. We hear all about the downfalls these days: a terrible job market, a bad housing market, and Baby Boomers thinking we’re all still teenagers.
But guess what? Millennials are growing up quickly. In fact, the most widely-accepted estimates put the end of the millennial generation in 1996. That means the very youngest millennials are approaching their mid-20s. Meanwhile, the older side of the generation is getting close to 40.
We’re not kids anymore. We might’ve come of age with the internet but we still remember what life was like before it. The millennial generation recalls things from the 1990s and early 2000s. And man was that a different time.
They say the passage of time speeds up as you grow older. Millennials are experiencing that in full force. Gen Z is getting older, too. Now, millennials are realizing for the first time just how different they are from today’s teens.
The kids of today don’t know how VCRs work or remember when the Backstreet Boys were young and attractive. They’ve never lived in a world that didn’t have the Sims and 9/11 is a historical event for them. Wow, they make us feel old.
1. This is what NSYNC looks like today
Back when we were kids, NSYNC was a group of young, attractive men with hair that couldn’t be matched. Now, well, they kind of look like a bunch of dads.
2. Kids these days don’t know why you “hang up” the phone
Kids growing up in the 2010s know nothing about a phone that wasn’t essentially a miniature computer. The phrase “hang up the phone” makes no sense to them. Don’t you mean “push the red button”?
3. They don’t teach cursive in school anymore
Times change and with the digital era, it kind of makes sense that cursive isn’t taught anymore. But considering how much they emphasized penmanship when we were kids, it does feel kind of odd.
4. For some people, Justin Bieber is their childhood music
People in their 20s can now officially talk about Justin Bieber as an artist they listened to when they were kids. Oh, and to make you feel even older, Bieber’s married.
5. Mara Wilson is in her 30s
Remember Matilda, the movie about the genius little girl who we all adored? Not only did that movie hit theaters 23 years ago, but Matilda herself is now 32.
6. Excuse me?
VCRs had a relatively short life, becoming a mass-market hit in the mid-1970s. They were an instrumental part of our childhoods. But kids these days don’t even know what they are.
7. This is what Nickelodeon Studios look like now
We all remember the Nickelodeon Studios as the bright and colorful building where all our favorite shows were born. It’s aged yet looks more professional.
8. Nelly plays on the Oldies station
Yes, that Nelly — the Nelly who still had hit songs on the radio from your memories. Those songs might’ve been chart-toppers in the 90s, but today they’re golden oldies.
9. Drew Carey has hosted “The Price is Right” for more than a decade
If you’re a millennial, you hear “The Price is Right” and immediately think of Bob Barker. But Barker retired back in 2007, followed by Carey taking his place. But don’t worry — Barker’s still going strong at age 95.
10. 2030 is closer than 2000
If that fact makes you reel, it’s time to face the truth — we’re all getting old. Sure, you remember 2000 like it was just a couple of years ago. But we’ve headed into the 2020s already.
11. People don’t know these songs by Avril Lavigne
In the early 2000s, Avril Lavigne was the height of cool. Between Complicated and Sk8ter Boi, she was the one who made all of us wish we were cool enough to be emos. By the way, Lavigne herself is 35 years old.
12. The art of burning CDs is dead
Burning CDs back in the day was an art — giving everyone a chance to personalize a mix. And no, you couldn’t just open Spotify and design a playlist with a couple of clicks.
13. Kids these days don’t know what the “save” icon is
The floppy disk lives on in the form of the “save” icon on every word document. But most young people have no idea what it is. They don’t even understand the luxury of automatic saving.
14. IT’S NOT A TV
Kids today will never understand the dreamy buzz of the projector in the classroom. They’ll also never understand how weirdly hot it was when the teacher made you come up and show off some work on the dry erase sheets.
15. Nope, don’t like that
Not only are babies from the 2000s old enough to be out at night, but they’re also old enough to be going to clubs. Well, 18+ clubs — but you know the day for the conventional nightclubs is coming.
16. Please tell me you’re joking
I’m going to assume that kid was being facetious when he said this tape cassette was from the Civil War. Otherwise, I don’t know how to cope with this.
17. Once upon a time, phones were just phones
Eventually, we’re not even going to call them phones anymore. We’ll just call them tiny computers or digital Swiss army knives. Back in the day, they were used solely for calling and that was it.
18. History repeats itself
Oh, MySpace — it was the coolest place to be back in 2006. We wasted so many hours choosing our favorite songs and putting up lyrics in our favorite fonts. What a life it was.
19. Oh my word
It’s enough to make your jaw drop — a teenager was annoyed that his “iPhone docking station” was scratching his phone screen. You guessed it: he was cramming his phone into the cassette player.
20. This generation has never seen a manual window crank
Something about this one just makes my brain rebel. Is it possible there’s a generation that doesn’t understand you just roll the window up and down? How’s it possible?
21. Kids these days have never heard of Napster
Oh, Napster, the wonderful trend of the early 2000s. We were all willing to give our computer every virus on the internet just to get some free music. It also took ages for songs to download.
22. It took forever and it screamed the whole time
One day we’ll all be telling our grandchildren about how the internet came through the phone and screamed like a tiny man being tortured the whole time. None of them will believe us.
23. The response was “It’s to hide weed”
If your answer to this question is “hiding weed,” then you’re either way too young to remember physical camera film or you smoke way too much of the green stuff. Possibly both.
24. Wait, how do kids sharpen pencils these days?
As a millennial, I can’t understand how kids wouldn’t know what this is. Do they just use pens and mechanical pencils? Do they have high-tech pencil sharpeners now?
25. You and me both, kid
Those classic iPods were amazing to our primitive minds back in the day. But no, they were long before the advent of the touchscreen. You had to scroll the dial down all the way.
26. Wait, what?
I’m not okay with hearing the word “90s” and “oldies” in the same sentence. You’ll never convince me that 1990 was almost 30 years ago. I won’t believe it.
27. Kenan and Kel are in their 40s
Ah, Kenan and Kel, the amazing duo you haven’t thought about in years. You may occasionally spot Kel on “Saturday Night Live” but he looks quite a bit different these days. And boy did they ever get old.
28. The Lion King came out 25 years ago
It’s hard to beat The Lion King, a Disney classic, even when going up against Frozen. Or maybe we’re all just biased because it was the best Disney movie of our childhoods.
29. “SpongeBob Squarepants” is so old that it airs on Nick at Night
Most of us grew up with “SpongeBob Squarepants,” and you’re probably singing that silly theme song right now. The first episode aired in 1999, which was 20 years ago.
30. Blink-182 is considered classic rock
Turn on a classic rock station these days and you might just hear some favorites from your childhood. Back in our day, Blink-182 was cool and current. Now it’s a classic.
31. Kids have no freakin’ clue what this is
A generation ago, this was a game that made kids everywhere go crazy. Now, they don’t even know what it is. Let’s shed a silent tear for the GameBoy.
32. …or this
I can live knowing that some kids don’t know what a cassette tape or landline phone is. But a classic iPod? Time is moving too fast.
33. People don’t know what a pound sign is
Dear kids: long before Twitter was born, there was something called a pound sign. It was used to denote numbers. There, now I can rest easy having spread that knowledge.
34. This is how elementary schoolers learn about 9/11
If you’re a millennial, chances are you were in elementary school when the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001. But kids in high school weren’t born yet. So, they learn about the event as a moment in history.
35. Kids don’t know what these are
If there’s one thing 90s kids loved, it was any kind of electronic game. The fact that some kids don’t know what these are feel like the end of a golden age.
36. An 18-year-old didn’t know what this was
It’s not just little kids who don’t recognize the technology we all knew and loved. It’s also legal-aged adults who’ve never seen stuff like this. To be fair, an 18-year-old was born in 2001.
37. This is how kids learn about Crocodile Hunter
Most of us grew up watching Crocodile Hunter and were stunned when he was killed in a freak accident in 2006. For today’s kids, he’s more of a historical figure than a fixture in their lives.
38. The Rugrats would be in their 30s
“Rugrats” was a show we all loved but our parents’ kind of hated. When it first aired in 1990, Angelica was the oldest at age 3. That means that in 2019, she would be 32.
39. PlayStation is a quarter of a century old
The first PlayStation came out on December 3, 1994, which means it’s nearing its 25th birthday. That’s right, PlayStation grew up, graduated college, and it’s getting ever closer to 30.
40. That song you danced to in middle school is old enough to be in middle school
Remember the song that inundated all our middle school dances? It came out 13 years ago, which means it’s now old enough to attend a middle school dance itself.
41. Gah
For many of us, 2001 doesn’t seem that long ago, and 9/11 was a defining moment of our lives. The fact there are high schoolers and even adults who weren’t there for it seems bizarre.
42. I’m dying inside
These people seem to be under the impression they discovered some sort of time-traveling device. In truth…they just never knew that Twitter didn’t invent the pound sign.
43. Kids today don’t know what a dial tone is
Remember when life was simple and you took things for granted? This includes things like the dial tone. Get ready to have your world rocked.
44. These stump kids
Along with having no idea what VCRs are, kids also have no clue what VHS tapes are or how they work. They’ll never know the tragedy of having a tape unspool.
45. Some people don’t know who this giant of children’s TV is
Some people didn’t grow up watching Blue’s Clues or hearing the song “We just got a letter, we just got a letter…” And I thought it was bad when they switched from Steve to Joe.
46. Will Smith is looking more like Uncle Phil these days
Will Smith shared a photo of himself mid-bungee jump to which the internet exploded. Why? Because the Fresh Prince is looking more and more like Uncle Phil these days.
47. Today’s kids don’t remember Beyoncé as anything but a solo artist
Sure, Beyoncé’s become one of the most famous pop legends in the world. But she didn’t get her start singing on her own. Back in the day, she was just one member of Destiny’s Child.
48. The Sims is legally an adult
The first Sims game was released on January 31, 2000, making the game legally an adult. We grew up playing it. It grew up, too. It’s enough to make you say “Woop sinarb fagoo.”
49. These legendary teen stars are all in their 30s
This was the Young Hollywood Class of 2003, which featured some pretty famous teen stars. Of course, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Mandy Moore, and the rest of them are all now in their 30s.
50. The Motorola RAZR is in a museum
Remember the Motorola RAZR and thinking it was the coolest phone you’d ever seen? These days, it’s considered a historical artifact — so much so, it’s displayed in a museum.
51. They don’t know the struggle of T9
Remember texting using T9? Today’s kids will never know the struggle of hitting those keys three or even four times in a row. With enough practice, you became incredibly fast at it.
52. “Boy band” doesn’t refer exclusively to NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys
Back in the 90s, boy bands enjoyed their heyday while we all swooned over BB and NSYNC. These days, they’re popular again. But now they refer to One Direction and BTS.
53. This was the Nickelodeon schedule when the class of 2019 was born
That might look like a regular Saturday for you back in elementary school. While you were watching these classic cartoons, this year’s high school seniors were being born, literally.
54. “Family Guy” is older than high school seniors
Yup, you read that right: “Family Guy” predates most kids graduating high school this year. The show premiered in 1999. Most high school seniors were born in 2001.
55. iPods are the same age as them
The first iPod was released in October 2001, which means it coincided with the births of many kids now entering college. If you want to feel extra old, you should know a top Google search is “Do iPods still exist?”
56. Disney stopped making these VHS tapes 13 years ago
You probably remember everything about these beauties, even down to the smell of the plastic and the crunch they made when you opened them. Guess what? They’ve been off the market since 2006.
57. The cast of the first Harry Potter movie was announced almost 20 years ago
….and guess what? No one had any idea who these kids were. Today, they’re very famous, but back in the early 2000s, these three were unknown child actors.
58. Hit Me Baby One More Time is four years from being eligible for the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame
Britney Spears shocked the world with Hit Me Baby One More Time back in 1998. After 25 years, it has a chance at being inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame… only three years from now.
59. The last Harry Potter book came out 12 years ago
Yes, you read that right: the very last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, came out in 2007. That saga was an intrinsic part of our childhoods that’s long been over.
60. They weren’t
You probably grew up thinking about years in terms of 10s. The 1970s were 30 years ago, right? Actually, 1990 was almost 30 years ago. Time flies.
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