I'm a product of the 50's/60's. I ran free all day long during the warmer months. We all did. Never a problem...well, pretty much not a problem. I have 3 kids...35, 32, 15. The two older kids had a bit more freedom than the 15 y/o...basically because of where they lived at the time...closer to town and school, sidewalks, etc. Just before youngest was born, we moved about 3 miles out of the town center, busy road, no sidewalks, and no true 'neighborhood'. Our present house is actually equidistant between my house growing up and my dh's teenaged years home.
You just don't see kids outside playing anymore. And yes, it is sad. But, I have to say that with the way people drive on our road, there is not way my dd was riding her bike on it, or walking along it for 1/4 mile to see a friend..way too many accidents.
Today, the towns have grown so large, that you are lucky if one neighbor knows your kids. In my childhood, you knew someone in at least every other house. If you had a problem, you could go to any house and know there was help waiting. Not so today. People peek out from behind their curtains and never answer the door...not sure why, but that's the way it is.
Is today any more dangerous than it was 20 years ago?? I don't know. Maybe. Perhaps there are those who hear these horror stories on the news and decide that sounds like fun. But that has to be a small number.
But...there is no way I am turning a child under 10, loose in WDW. My dd has been going to WDW since she turned 6. She has been about 15 times..she is now 15. She knows her way around so well that she could probably give tours. When she turned 13, we traveled to WDW with another mom and her dd, who also was turning 13. The girls were allowed to head out on their own...my dd knew the park layouts incredibly well, so I wasn't concerned.
But, if you turned a much younger child loose in a park, they could get turned around, discombobulated and scared. Sure, I can see sitting on a bench while your youngster rides a few rides in that general vicinity..but allow them to be on their own for hours on end?? Nope. While I realize that child abduction and molestation can happen anywhere (and does), I do realize that WDW is a magnet for those looking for young children. Whether or not they decide to act on their impulses is not a chance I'm going to take (well, wouldn't have taken since dd is older now).
I don't allow my dd to go into someone's home that she doesn't know either, or to walk around a mall by herself at night..in a group or stay at home.
Yes, I understand that kids need to learn discerning skills, that they need to learn how to make good choices and judgement calls. But, you don't dump them in the deep end and say 'swim'. Baby steps. Life today is way too fast..kids need more time to digest what they are hearing and seeing. Others are out of control, seeming to think that bad behaviour is okay...so, put a group of those kids up against a group of untested teenagers and you have a recipe for disaster. Trial by fire isn't a great tool as a teen.
Teens on their own at WDW? Sure, as long as they can find their way around and aren't going to be getting lost. Kids under 10? Nope, don't think so. But, then again, our parents didn't turn us loose at the fairs that used to come to town every spring....those carnival workers were sketchy..to use a word my dd uses. Not so different than today...just a bigger arena now.