11 Things Kids In The 1970s Used To Do That Parents Today Don’t Allow Anymore
fotoak / Shutterstock Being a kid in the 1970s was a period of freedom. They played outside without parental supervision and walked to school with all their friends, just a few of the many things kids in the 1970s used to do that parents today don’t allow anymore. They didn’t have a parent hovering over their shoulder, solving all their problems or removing discomfort from their lives, so it’s not a surprise that Gen Xers are resilient and independent adults.
Compared to kids today, coddled by gentle and overbearing parents, they have a level of autonomy that we’re quickly losing. Taking accountability for their own lives and solving problems on their own might feel like “bare minimum” things, but kids today struggle to do them well.
Here are 11 things kids in the 1970s used to do that parents today don’t allow anymore
1. Riding bicycles without helmets
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Not only were kids in the 70s riding around town on bicycles without helmets, but they were doing so without parental supervision. Two things that parents today simply wouldn’t allow anymore. Many ‘70s kids probably also remember their banana-seat bike, a classic staple of old-school children’s play.
Of course, most generations of parents can acknowledge that playing outside is essential to their kids’ health and well-being, but there’s an added benefit to unsupervised play: it offers kids socioemotional and cognitive benefits.
2. Hang out at the arcade alone
This generation of kids basically grew up in arcades, assuming they had one within walking or bicycling distance from their house. They’d grab neighborhood friends, their allowance money, and spend all day playing random games and competing with their friends.
It’s this kind of screen time and video games that might have even been beneficial for these kids, compared to the constant mindless entertainment and distraction of a personal cell phone today. Of course, while parents may take their kids to commercial arcades today, like Chuck E. Cheese or Dave and Buster’s, they’d never consider letting them walk there, buy things, and play games without any supervision.
3. Run errands alone
Whether it was walking to the corner store to pick up a few groceries for dinner or bicycling all the way down to get McDonald’s for the whole family, these are things kids in the 1970s used to do that parents today don’t allow anymore.
Of course, it’s exactly this responsibility and these moments of alone time that cultivate independence, self-reliance, and creativity in kids. Now, as adults, they’re not reliant on other people to make their lives easier or more comfortable, because they've already matured and grown into their independence.
4. Watch whatever was on TV
With the introduction of parental controls on televisions and screens starting in the 90s, it’s no surprise that many kids and teens in the ‘70s had unsupervised access to whatever was on TV. Of course, there were different channels and programs, but compared to the access kids have to online content today, these old-school kids could watch whatever they wanted.
As long as their chores were done and their parents weren’t around to monitor their TV shows and channels, they had unrestricted access.
5. Swimming in neighborhood pools without supervision
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Compared to parents today, who’ve often been bombarded with scary headlines on social media and the internet, many parents in the ‘70s could encourage their children’s independence without worry. They didn’t necessarily worry about their safety out in the world, with strangers and alone time, because they weren’t subjected to constant “PSAs” about what’s acceptable.
That’s why swimming in neighborhood pools on weekends and with friends, with little supervision, was one of the things kids in the 1970s used to do that parents today don’t allow anymore.
6. Make prank calls to strangers
While Caller IDs and phone numbers often track down kids today, kids in the 1970s could prank call people on landlines without many consequences. It was just one fun activity, especially for kids who lived in small towns without cul-de-sacs and neighborhood pools to enjoy, to fill their time.
Of course, with “stranger danger” worries and overbearing parents today, many kids don’t have the joy and adrenaline rushes of prank calls in their day-to-day lives.
7. Travel on public transportation alone
According to a parenting report from Littlebird, more than 89% of parents today expressed a significant worry for their kids' well-being and safety amid daily life. Whether that’s talking to strangers, spending time outside without supervision, or simply walking to school on their own, many of the pillars of kids’ lives in the 1970s are no longer tolerable for their parents.
Whether it’s the introduction of social media or cell phones, parents are subjected to far more content and headlines that encourage them to worry. But the truth is, they can’t control their kids' lives and keep them safe 100% of the time. The only way to truly equip them to thrive is to teach them to protect themselves, and that starts with independence.
8. Arguing with friends without parental input
Whether it was physical tussles at school or arguing with friends at their house after school, working through their own conflicts without parental supervision or input were things kids in the 1970s used to do that parents today don’t allow anymore. Even at school, parents today are more likely to give their “two cents” to teachers and advocate for their kids, even when they’re perfectly capable of doing it themselves.
While it might seem like a necessary part of keeping their kids safe, in the long run, controlling and overbearing parents only sabotage their kids’ happiness and later independence.
9. Face boredom without screens
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Despite often complaining about being bored, kids in the 1970s truly learned to embrace the benefits of their alone time, as a study from the Child Mind Institute suggests. They had to learn to be creative with their time, especially without the allure of cell phone screens or doomscrolling on social media.
Of course, parents today often feel burdened by entertaining their kids all the time, but parents in the ‘70s allowed their kids to grow into a more independent identity by encouraging them to do things for themselves. Whether it was trying new hobbies, making new friends, or learning new things from books, these kids had to be comfortable with their own company and with time alone.
10. Cook full meals alone
While parents today might hope that their kids learn to cook for themselves simply by watching them do it for them, the truth is that kids often learn by doing rather than observing. So, while it might’ve put them at risk of learning the hard way, cooking full meals alone were things kids in the 1970s used to do that parents today don’t allow anymore.
From making snacks after school to cooking meals for the family when they were tasked with watching younger siblings, it was expected of them to learn to feed themselves when their parents weren’t around.
11. Play in construction sites and roads
Kids today have the autonomy that kids in the 1970s had to really do whatever they wanted. Of course, they were guided by certain laws and the values their parents instilled in them, but when it came to choosing what to do with their free time, they made those choices.
Compared to parents today who take on the burden of entertaining their kids or keeping them within eyesight at all times, it’s no surprise that playing in construction sites and running around on roads were things kids in the 1970s used to do that parents today don’t allow anymore.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
