Nostalgic millennial parents are increasingly keen to replicate their own childhoods, with a surge of interest in '90s parenting'. Former 90s kids now raising their own children are looking back to an era before screens dominated family life, seeking to recapture the deliberate, communal media consumption of their youth.
Content creator Justin Flom built a replica Blockbuster video store in his home for his daughters. 'The whole family would pile into the car, head to the video store and roam the aisles while deciding what to watch,' he recalls. 'It felt exciting, full of possibility. Scrolling online just isn’t the same.' He argues that the ritual of choosing a film together created anticipation and delayed gratification.
Parents are also turning to slower-paced 1990s media for their children, such as 'Home Alone', 'Harriet the Spy' and 'Teletubbies', to counter the frenetic speed of modern shows. 'We prefer older movies and shows, partly because I think the pacing is healthier,' says Flom. 'They’re not as chaotic or overstimulating.'
This trend reflects broader concerns about screen time. Some parents and schools are even reintroducing landlines to create a 'retro bubble' of resistance. A video circulating on Instagram shows a group of adults and children enjoying a back garden water fight, having placed their smartphones out of reach – a scene reminiscent of summers when neighbourhood kids played together without screens.
Jess Russell, a former teacher and stay-at-home mum, campaigns for more learning through play. She emphasises the importance of unstructured play, recalling her own 90s childhood where boredom was a catalyst for creativity. 'I grew up in the 90s, and we played outside until the streetlights came on,' she says.
