25 Things Born in the 2020s Will Never Understand

Thinking of having a child soon? 2020s babies are going to live in a world very different than the one you grew up in.

This isn’t a bad thing: We should expect the world to change and technology to advance. Just like elementary school children have no idea what an answering machine tape looks like, children born in the current decade will age out of some aspects of life.

This is mostly just speculation based on current trends and observances. In fact, we can’t confidently say what children born in the 2010s will continue doing as they age, let alone children born this decade. So I’m prepared for this list to age like milk, but this is mostly just written in good fun.

1. “The Two Thousands”

Babies born in the 10s might have been born in “two thousand twelve,” and they certainly have parents who reminisce about “two thousand three.” The 20s will be called the “twenty-twenties” and babies born in this decade will talk about grandpa’s stories from “twenty-o-three.”

2. Ordering at the Counter

Customers will still want to eat out, but they won’t want to talk to an employee at the counter. They’d rather tap an app a few times, customize everything, and get their food without saying a word out loud.

3. DVR

Cable television is on the way out, and most kids will grow up with an emphasis on streaming. While they might know about DVDs or Blu-ray, DVR will become a thing of the past. Anything worth watching will be released on streaming first anyway.

4. Remembering Parking Spaces

Cars will just drop pins. After a trip to the mall (if they exist), technology will just take them to their cars.

5. The Absence of Preferred Pronouns

As the world becomes more progressive, including pronouns is becoming more common. Kids born in the 20s will still make assumptions, but when they see name tags with pronouns directly under the name, they won’t bat an eye.

6. Iced Coffee

They’ll have hot coffee or cold brew. Simple iced coffee is on the way out.

7. Running Out of Storage Space

During the 00s, we watched hard drives grow in size, only to see flash memory increase speed at the expense of storage space. Filling up your iPhone’s memory was a common issue, but cloud storage and streaming will make it more difficult to fill up storage. That’s not to say they’ll get cloud storage for free, but upgrades will be cheaper than a whole new device.

8. Backpack-Induced Scoliosis

Many children in my generation developed poor posture and back issues due to the ways they carried backpacks. With iPads and technology, hopefully, children will have one tablet rather than 30 pounds of textbooks.

9. Turning to Reverse Your Car

You know that exaggerated turn you’re taught in driving school when learning to back up a car? Some people think it can be oddly attractive, but kids born in the 2020s will have cameras instead of moving their necks.

10. Loyalty Cards

The next generation will be no stranger to loyalty programs and rewards, in fact, they’ll expect them. But they won’t be getting physical cards. Everything will be done on their smartphones, and cards won’t be clogging up wallets.

11. Complimentary Plastic

Kids born in the 2010s might remember a time when they could grab a plastic straw with their drinks at restaurants or carry groceries in a plastic bag. Kids born in the 2020s will rely on reusable or biodegradable options.

12. The Excitement of Going to the Movies

The next generation won’t be going to the movies for the movie itself. Now, theaters will be events with food, comfortable seating, and a visually immersive experience. Without the excitement, kids will stay home and stream.

13. The Definition of “Smoking”

When someone says they’re going for a smoke, cigarettes come to mind. By the time 2020s-babies understand the concept, the term will be more synonymous with marijuana; and it’ll be easier for them to acquire.

14. Bike Riding

No, bikes aren’t going anywhere, but many children will forgo the process of learning to ride one. Their parents won’t let them go anywhere unsupervised, so what’s the point of having a bike, let alone riding one?

15. The Term “Chip or Strip”

If credit cards are still around, they will be tap-to-pay. That includes physical cards and digital methods like ApplePay.

16. Talking to Customer Support

By the time these kids are getting help with their products, they’ll be far too reliant on Google to bother calling for help. Even if they wanted to, they’d need to answer multiple questions on an automated system before talking to a robot.

17. High Cable Channels

Once upon a time, families paid a premium for high cable packages featuring niche networks with reruns of fan-favorite shows. Now, entire series are found on streaming services or faux-channels offered by services like Pluto TV or Tubi.

18. Accessories in the Box

If you look inside the box of an iPhone, all you get is a single USB-C to lightning cable. But, you can also charge these phones wirelessly. Soon enough, that will be standard and the box will just have a smartphone in it.

19. Passwords

This is going to get worse before it gets better. Kids who start school in the 2020s will know how to sign into YouTube before they can write their names. But tech startups will learn the potential of eliminating text passwords, so they’ll have a more secure alternative. Hopefully, this also means we won’t need to provide SSNs for verification either.

20. Used Media

Nobody will be surprised to see Blu-ray or CDs get phased out, but digital will replace physical media we resell. Things like books or video games will be downloaded, and having a physical copy will be uncommon at best.

21. Snow Days

As time progresses, the impacts of the pandemic will minimize or become fully integrated into daily life. Kids born in the 2020s will never know a world without the pandemic, so when a snowstorm arrives, they’ll just hop on their smartphones and go to school electrically.

22. Celebrating Birthdays In School

Singing happy birthday? Maybe. Bringing in cake, cookies, or balloons? That’ll be a big no-no. Some kids will be allergic to flour, nuts, or latex. Schools would rather ban all food than exclude one kid from the celebrations.

23. The Term “Athleisure”

What was once sporty-casual will become known as “formalwear.”

24. Preparing for Retirement

401Ks won’t be enough, and pensions will be almost entirely gone. When 2020s-babies are entering the workforce, retirement will seem impossible. Likely because they watched their Gen X grandparents struggle, and yes, they’ll complain that Millennials are so well off.

25. Privacy

Truthfully, each generation has less privacy than the last, but these children will always be connected to their parents. Kids will have mobile devices when they have their first days of preschool, and parents will be able to track their location. 4K cameras will be cheap to produce, and buildings will have more surveillance than they could ever watch.