This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.'Laguna Beach' feels like fantasy to Gen Z teens raised on tracking apps and group chats

Suzy ByrneFri, April 10, 2026 at 1:29 PM UTC

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We asked high school kids to watch Laguna Beach — and observe a pre-Instagram, Life360 and For You Page version of teen life. Here's what they thought. (Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela for Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images, Roku)

Laguna Beach was the ultimate millennial teen soap opera.

The early reality show, which premiered in 2004, had everything: drama, fashion, love triangles, wealth — and a truly bizarre pronunciation of the name “Stephen” — all bathed in a pre-Instagram golden glow.

Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti, Kristin Cavallari and the rest of the cast weren’t actors. They were real, sun-kissed, genetically blessed high schoolers who signed away their anonymity to MTV.

They lived large: They went to Cabo for spring break, threw fancy parties, camped on Catalina Island — all with what seemed like minimal parental oversight. They didn’t just survive high school, they became famous from it, launching spin-offs, fashion lines, podcasts and even a vaginal wellness brand.

Now, they’re the big 40, or nearing it, and back together for the first time for The Reunion: Laguna Beach,streaming April 10 on Roku. Watching their early-2000s lives now feels like stepping into another era: before iPhones, Instagram, constant notifications and Life360.

Can today’s teens relate? We asked a handful to watch Laguna Beach and tell us how it compares to their own high school experience and friendships. Via text, video and email, they replied.

What feels like fantasy now

We know it’s a reality show, but some parts of Laguna Beach felt like a different world to the teens we put to the test.

Start with the parties. The black-and-white bash, with formal attire and paper invitations, planned by Lauren and Lo doesn’t reflect how they hang out now.

The cast of MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. (J. Merritt via Getty Images)

“I’ve never been to a hotel party, nor have I ever heard of anyone hosting one,” Seda, a 16-year-old junior, tells Yahoo.

Ivy, a 17-year-old senior, says she hasn’t been to a party “that has a theme or required formal invitations, unless it's, like, a parental thing.”

The scale of it all, also including clubs, feels out of reach. “We don’t have that option,” Camila, a junior who’s 17, says. “It’s usually just a house party.”

“My parents would never let me go to Mexico for spring break in high school.” — Seda, 16

Maggie, an 18-year-old senior, explains how the invites go out in her crew: “Almost all the time, the general rule is: If you're in the GC, you can come.” (GC meaning group chat.)

The same goes for spring break. Forever immortalized in the “What Happens in Cabo” episode, the TV teens were infamously unsupervised, drunk and screaming at each other.

“My parents would never let me go to Mexico for spring break in high school,” Seda says. “And I wouldn’t want to — I enjoy spending my spring break with my family.”

On the other hand, Maggie says her mom would give the greenlight because she’s “always wanted me to have a great ‘high school experience,’ and in turn allows for a lot of freedom.”

That should be freedom with an asterisk.

“My mom is very relaxed, and yet there are so many other things that take away independence: Life360, Find My, Ring cameras are all ways to monitor and control what’s happening,” says Maggie. “I don’t blame them; safety is a huge priority. But it’s hard not to wonder what we could get away with with less technology, as I’m sure these kids took advantage of.”

Seda acknowledges that “those kids have more independence than I do,” but adds, “I don’t really feel sad that my parents are more protective because I would guess my relationship with my parents is better.”

Meanwhile, the technology on the show feels foreign. Most hadn’t seen a flip phone. Seda used her mom’s as a toy.

What still holds up

In addition to Hilary Duff singing — her track “Come Clean” is the show’s theme song — the teens saw parts of Laguna Beach reflected in their lives today.

While the platforms have changed, the social structure of high school hasn’t. “Social hierarchies exist in every school,” says Maggie. “However, being ‘popular’ certainly isn't as glorified as it seems to be in the show or as it used to be.”

The emotions, too, remain.

“The friendships, breakups, jealousy and miscommunication still feel real,” she adds. Camila seconds that: “The drama in the show is very exaggerated.”

“It’s hard not to wonder what we could get away with with less technology, as I’m sure these kids took advantage of.” — Maggie, 18

There’s one ritual that continues to define teen life: getting ready together.

Ivy calls it “my favorite thing. It’s like a whole event in itself — we sit, talk, listen to music.” The biggest difference, she adds, is that “we prioritize taking pictures for Instagram.”

Even the fashion doesn’t feel entirely out of place. While the show’s mid-2000s style may look dated at first glance, some of it is cycling back.

The Laguna Beach gang on a shopping excursion in the '00s. (Rodrigo Varela via Getty Images)

“The patterns … are different, but the shapes and physical designs are similar,” Seda says. Ivy points to brands like Hollister leaning into early-2000s trends: “I’d say that shows that it’s really desired.”

The cast’s hairstyles, however, are another story.

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“They’re outdated,” Seda says. “Our generation is more into natural hair and curl patterns, especially at the beach.”

Maggie adds: “Streaky highlights are just out in general.”

And, yes, red Solo cups — with alcohol — are still in rotation, though not everyone imbibes.

What’s completely changed

For starters, the way teens communicate.

“We plan hangouts digitally almost always,” says Maggie. “That’s where everything is decided. I noticed Kristin saying she was going to hang out with her friend, yet they didn't have any plan whatsoever. What we do, who's going to be there — everything is known prior, 99% of the time.”

While smartphones are always present, teens say how they use them depends on the setting.

“When I hang out with my friends, we always have our phones on us, but we aren’t usually on them,” says Seda. “I think the person-to-person contact hasn’t changed the way older generations think it has.”

Ivy agrees: “Our friends are pretty good about not being on our phones constantly, but when we're just at home … not doing anything … we're on our phones.”

Conflict, however, has shifted. On Laguna Beach, arguments played out in person — at the beach, at parties and everywhere in between. Today, they often happen behind screens.

“Being able to text has changed confronting someone,” says Ivy. “I don't think there's ever been any huge fights in my friend group that weren’t through text.”

“Most people expect you to have a job by at least 16 or 17. Definitely before you get into college.” — Camila, 17

Some spats spill over to apps like Snapchat.

But there’s a stronger push toward girls supporting girls vs. the long-running feud between Lauren and Kristin.

“The girls [don’t seem] genuine,” says Seda. “The energy with my friends is more unified.”

Love triangles are out. Even Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari have learned how to get along. (Emma McIntyre via Getty Images)

Maggie agrees that’s the case within her friend group, though outside it “depends on the girl.” She’s very clear that that competition hasn’t disappeared — it’s shifted. It shows up in followers, lifestyle and who gets invited.

“I've been lucky enough not to experience it, but I can't say the same for some of my friends,” Maggie says.

The drawn-out romantic quagmire that defined the show — Stephen torn between girlfriend Kristin and childhood friend Lauren — also feels largely out of step with how teens date now.

“There aren’t any love triangles,” Seda says. “Most people wouldn’t let a man go back and forth between them. And when people find out someone isn’t loyal, they end things quickly.”

“I liked how simple their lives feel… It’s refreshing compared to now... Everyone is under so much more pressure.” — Maggie, 18

It’s not all friends and boyfriends either. Teen life itself is way more structured. Between school, extracurriculars and college pressure, there’s less room for the kind of aimless downtime seen on the show.

That’s good and bad.

“I liked how simple their lives feel — like just going to the beach, hanging out with friends and driving around,” Maggie says. “It’s refreshing compared to now, where everything feels more scheduled or posted online. Everyone is under so much more pressure, a thousand after-school activities while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and going off to college with your entire life planned ahead of you. All the while seeing other people's successes on your For You Page (FYP).”

Camila agrees. “Taking the time to actually enjoy the moment and stuff — I feel like you see that a lot in the show.”

Seda says unstructured time surprised her, noting, “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t play a sport or isn’t involved in the arts.”

Adds Maggie, “Honestly, it's impossible to get into college without some form of activity or sport.”

The TV teens weren’t consumed with that — or jobs. While Stephen logged hours at the surf shop, the cast never really spent too much time clocking in or out. Mom and Dad bought those designer handbags.

“‘Rad,’ ‘tight,’ ‘word,’ ‘noob.’ I don't know what some of these words even mean.” — Ivy, 17

“Most people expect you to have a job by at least 16 or 17,” says Camila. “Definitely before you get into college. It's important to, like, at least have some social skills.”

“In my friend group of 10, almost all of us work,” Maggie adds.

Even language has shifted. The slang the beach kids used sent these teens straight to Google.

“‘Rad,’ ‘tight,’ ‘word,’ ‘noob.’ I don't know what some of these words even mean,” laughs Ivy.

Not everything translates after 20 years, but some things don’t need to.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”