If you were a teenager in the 70's it would be unusual if your parents would have granted you access to a computer. You most likely would have had to learn in college. One of my colleagues who had learned programming in college was in a shouting match with a somewhat younger programmer, and said to the younger programmer, "I've been programming since you were in diapers." The younger one replied, "So have I."

It's not essential to make equipment available to people before college. The most important thing is to make sure that everyone can get into the field who can prove themselves.