Agree except the fears cited at the beginning often are unfounded and are part of the problem.
You mean as in nostalgia ain’t what it used to be? I agree. My dad has told me stories of growing up in rural Texas, and it wasn’t all sweetness and light. Bad people then and bad people now. I guess if I had to come up with a difference, it would be that people (kids included) back then were more savvy and better equipped to handle bad situations - and expected to have to handle things. The “authorities” were few and far between, so you were on your own.