And would you let your kid, grand kid, or great-grand kid to that today? I recall what my parents let me do back in the 60s and 70s but wouldn’t let my kids do it. It is a very different world today.
Yes I would
You are overly paranoid
I haven’t lived in a city or neighborhood where you couldn’t let your kids outside to play, I lived in Simi for over 30 years where I raised my child, but most cities are real sh^tholes and I would never even consider it in most parts of Los Angeles
No matter where you are, child abduction by a non-family member (e.g. not a contested custody case) is exceedingly rare. And if you're in a neighborhood where the kids are in danger from street crime, they're not safe on their own front porch.
Danger? Yes: the government ideology that "we'll raise your kids, not you", "we know better than you", is the most dangerous of all.