To a degree, true, although what wasn't clear from the above, admittedly, was that I'm a child of the 80's. I was fortunate to go to a school during those precious formative years in the late 80's/early 90's which refused to comply with the growing culture of pandering to parents' irrational media-driven fears. I didn't select my classmates!

Most of my generation did not play freely. I would go home from school holidays and attempt to muster neighbours/random local kids/friends into going for an explore/insane expedition into the local wasteland/abandoned buildings/woods/caves/whatever. Very few takers, and my mother got no end of "your child is a ne'er-do-well trying to lead my Johnny astray".