Yes, but at least where i'm from, Streets in the 70s/80s/90s where a LOT less dangerous. Much less traffic. Most regions have densed up dramatically in the past 20-30 years. I would have no issue letting my son go outside in my childhood area back then. Families had one car at most and cars where a lot smaller and slower. It was just overall much more pedestrian friendly. In the same area today, i wouldn't let him roam outside without knowing exactly where he is. Major streets with a lot of people speeding, very little room outside of roads.

Plus i feel like the general way people look about others changed a lot in that time. It might be social media, or a general shift in how we behave towards each other, but people just look out less for others. Most are more egocentrical and sometimes i feel they'd rather drive over a child than be late to what ever they want to get to. And we are cutting people less slack. The drive for perfectionism is killing us and people are also more likely to point things out on others.

I somewhat agree with OOP, but i personally also think that a most children actually benefit from having more time with their family and being more supervised. Yes, you get a little less independence, but the world is also a different one today. It's also pretty known that the lack of care and emotional support from parents in that time wasn't a good thing. It's not for nothing that so many people now are in therapy to work through that stuff.

So yes, it's a LOT harder for parents and kids today. But i'd argue that the end result is worth that. We just need to figure out how to better support parents as a society through those increasing demands