Adults Who Were Kids in 2003 - Childhood Memories Before Smartphones

What do you remember about being a kid in 2003? (Journalism student looking for your memories!) Hi Everyone! I’m a college journalism student writing a story about what everyday life was actually like in 2003, the year I was born, and how that world has evolved into the one we live in today. I’m especially interested in hearing from people who were children in 2003 because your memories are very different from those of teenagers or adults. I’m hoping to understand what childhood looked and felt like before smartphones and social media became a part of everyday life. Feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you’d like, or simply tell me your own memories. About You ● How old were you in 2003? ● Where did you grow up? (Country, state/province, or region.) School ● What grade were you in? ● What do you remember most about school? ● What were recess and lunch like? ● Were there cliques even in elementary school? ● What games did everyone play at recess? ● What school supplies, toys, or trends were considered “cool”? Friends & Social Life ● What did you do after school? ● How did you make plans with friends? ● Did you mostly play outside, at each other’s houses, or online? ● What was your neighborhood like? ● Did your parents let you roam around the neighborhood? Technology ● Did your family have a computer? ● Did you have dial-up internet? ● What was your first experience using the internet? ● Did your family share one computer? ● Did your parents have cell phones, flip phones, or pagers? ● Did your house still have a landline? ● Did you play video games? Which ones? Entertainment ● What TV shows couldn’t you miss? ● What movies were your favorites? ● What toys did everyone seem to have? ● What books did you love? ● What music did you remember hearing all the time, even if it was your parents’ music? Family Life ● What was a normal weekday like? ● Did your family eat dinner together? ● What were family vacations like? ● What rules did your parents have about TV, computers, or video games? Looking Back ● What’s something about childhood in 2003 that kids today would probably find surprising? ● What’s something you miss about growing up then? ● What’s something that’s better for kids today? ● Do you think growing up before smartphones changed the way you see the world?