this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2026
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I grew up in a Soviet apartment bloc, and I did way more exploring outside than kids living in suburbia could ever hope to. For one, it was completely safe to let kids go out and play on their own. There were always green spaces and playgrounds between a few apartment buildings, and you'd go and play there.
Can confirm. We used to play till 10PM (cause we had to wake up early for school) around the apartment bloc and around the neighbourhood. In the pre-cellpone era parents would call their kids from their balconies to come home. At the height of organized crime that arose post-1989, people felt that safe about their kids playing unsupervised.
Yeah, it's kind of unthinkable today honestly. I don't know anybody who'd just let their kids out on their own, and you'd probably get charged with neglect if you did.
A friend got in trouble for letting her kids play IN HER SUBURBAN BACKYARD without her watching them. A neighbour called the authorities.
Kids are basically treated like pets nowadays.