“The Thomases are not unusual. A 1990 study called “One False Move” tracked the unsupervised play spaces of British children across generations and found the newest 8-year-olds have 1/9th the roaming territory of their parents. That’s a one-generation change. Back in the 1970s, 80 percent of British 7- and 8-year-olds were allowed to go to school unsupervised. By 1990, the percentage was 10 percent.”

Do You Know Where Your Children Are? Is That Always A Good Thing? : Krulwich Wonders… : NPR.