Aside from the advances in technology, the culture seems to have become more Hispanic. Note that street signs and billboards from the first film are written in both Spanish and English, implying a bilingual society. Many experts believe the Mexican population of the United States will greatly increase in the near future; Spy Kids is obviously set after that has already happened. Add to this the vaguely-described "dark and confusing times" about ten years before the first film, which doesn't seem to reflect the early 1990s.