TV back then was one or two channels so it wasn’t such a draw. Riding bikes all over town was much more fun.
From the time I was in Kindergarten in the mid 70’s on in Los Angeles, I was on my own. I would wander with friends but mostly alone. The older I got, the further I would go, and the older I got the later could stay. When I was small, I explored the parks, and construction sites, universities, and surprisingly natural places like small creeks, I loved exploring the drainage tunnels, and catching frogs and crawfish. As I got older before I was old enough to drive, I would ride my bike all the way to the beach and body surf all day. Once I bought my first car, however...weekly trips to ensenada, glamis, mammoth, climbed Mt Whitney, I even went to san fran, and even Seattle and vancouver once....and this was while I was in high school. I am so glad there was no such thing as helicopter parents when I was small