I was around before the internet became widely accessible, and I guess the answer is 'you can't miss something you didn't have'.
The internet has obviously had a huge impact on my life, but I can't say that my life was boring or worse without it...
I was quite young in the 90s (I'm 28 in 2013.. So you do the math!), but even when we had internet at home, it was pretty slow and not always accessible (56k modem that cut out the phone line every time someone in the house connected to the internet).
So during my early-teens I spent a lot more time hanging out with my friends, playing Super Nintendo, playing soccer and getting up to mischief. That's pretty much how we had fun.
Yes, it may have been healthier - I remember being able to run around and play soccer for hours back then - now I have to take a break if I run around for 15 minutes!
And yes, I spent more time with REAL people, as opposed to communicating with their avatars...
But in many ways, the internet has simply optimized the way kids have fun.
For example, when I got bored of playing the video games I had at home - I'd go to the arcade with some friends.
Now, I'd probably just download a new game.
The same applies to films and going to the cinema...
And I remember going to music stores just to listen to samples of CDs I couldn't afford to buy with my pocket money (I'm talking getting a bus to travel to a store to merely sample audio clips!!) ...
Now, a lot of that music is available for free and at the click of a mouse.
I guess the biggest controversy from a parent's point of view is physical activity though, and how this:
has been replaced by this:
I would point out though, that I used to play sports games on my Super Nintendo before I could play games online. So maybe it's technology and not the internet specifically that is to blame in this case.
