Email was 30 years old at that point and was relatively widely used in schools and the workplace so I disagree. Every kid I knew had a Hotmail account and spent hours on MSN Messenger every day.

But my point is more that for a long long time kids have been able to learn independence from family daily at school, in a very safe environment. There’s a lot to lose by availing them of the crutch of constant communication with and tracking by their family.