4 Examples Of Older Tech That Younger Generations Are Embracing With Open Arms

Technology is constantly moving forward, but that's not always a good thing. Sure, modern high-tech gadgets can make you money, and it's useful to have multiple devices connected to each other. But many "advancements" have also made people feel suffocated by forced online access and locked-down platforms. As a result of this, as well as simple curiosity and perhaps nostalgia, younger generations have begun to embrace older pieces of tech, including analog devices and physical forms of media.

Not every kid or young adult is embracing older technology, of course. Some even have a continued love for Apple products that created new challenges for Android. But many from Generation Z and Alpha have found creative uses or enticing prospects for "retro" devices and media in general. They also don't have very high opinions on the direction that current technology has started to move in. That's why you might see these generations taking full advantage of these classic electronic items.

If you're a major fan of older games, the reason old CRT TVs are making a comeback shouldn't be surprising. Regardless of generation, many people insist that retro titles only really look as they should on retro monitors. The screens might have been limited in resolution and much less clear than modern TVs, but the people making media that was supposed to be played on those screens knew that. Thus, pixelated video games and even older movies can look especially appealing on a CRT, to the point that today's audiences have to seek out filters and overlays to replicate the style.

Of course, the retro gaming benefits make up the main appeal of CRT TVs. It's led to Gen Z actively seeking the bulky boxes out, all for the sake of experiencing the games as they were originally intended to be played. It's not just visual, either; even some of the most high-end TVs of today can't match the response time of a CRT. Even with the massive 8K screens of today, younger generations agree that there are some great benefits to these older models.

Streaming platforms can offer a wide plethora of movies and shows for everyone. But as more people leave expensive services for cheaper options, some are choosing to abandon them altogether. For younger generations, the concept of owning your media is even more appealing when you'd otherwise have to sign into an account and hope a company doesn't take down your favorite series. That's why physical media from optical discs, records, and even tapes still appeals to some younger users — in spite of how the latter is commonly seen as old tech that most Gen Z kids will never learn to use.

Of course, these solutions aren't perfect, either. DVDs and CDs are likely to degrade over time, and streaming services still have the benefit of turning viewers onto many shows or movies they'd never have bothered with otherwise. But as one young DVD enjoyer told the BBC, it isn't just about functionality and preservation. "The main selling point [of DVDs] for me is the cases ... it's about having something physical you can look at instead of just scrolling through your phone mindlessly." There's a certain feeling that comes with having something physical that you won't get by just binge-watching your favorite shows or movies, and that's a major part of why they still have plenty of appeal today.

It might seem impossible to live a modern life without a full smartphone, but younger generations are embracing older "dumb" phones instead. This sort of trend is popular enough to have its own community on Reddit with over 175,000 viewers weekly, and we've even made a dedicated article on the best dumb phones you can buy. On top of being cheap and lightweight, these devices aren't squeezing owners out for every drop of data they have, allowing them to reach out to friends without giving away so much personal information to Google, Apple, or some other major company.

While it's not quite for the same reasons, younger generations are also embracing retro gaming consoles. In this case, it's more because the best classic games are simply timeless to them, not because the older devices have so much functionality. That being said, while it's possible to enjoy some older games on modern systems, their implementation can be somewhat lacking. It's hard to be unappreciative of how well retro consoles can run their original libraries — especially for Gen Z players willing to take those consoles to their limits.

Smartphones have some pretty incredible cameras today, but vintage point-and-shoot cameras aren't going away. Gen Z has been pushing to make use of them in recent years, and there's a very simple reason for that: They're still fantastic, even in 2026. Rather than being designed as an extra feature for your phone, the picture-focused internals in a point-and-shoot camera are all you'll find inside one. In other words, everything about these cameras is designed to take the best photos possible.

In a way, these cameras are less a retro trend for Gen Z or Gen Alpha and more of an everlasting constant for aspiring photographers. Like classic games or the unique look of a CRT screen, they're timeless for many people, and their capabilities still haven't been so easily replicated or surpassed by modern alternatives. Even beyond modern technology's issues with ownership and the curiosity of younger generations, a major draw to older tech is simply that it still has plenty of fantastic benefits of its own.