That said, if you've been particularly sedentary or aren't used to walking barefoot, you should definitely be careful in the transition. Individual physical histories, mobility, etc. have to be taken into account when recommending advice.
I do think kids should be encouraged to run barefoot as often as possible, though. Activity in general will set them up to avoid many of the mistakes of their sedentary elders.
Furthermore, I can honestly attribute none of my current good health to it.
I've got lots of scars from being a child who doesn't pay attention to his surroundings. That's normal.
You can't exactly run an experiment to see how your life would have been different had you run around in cushy sneakers that didn't let your feet move as intended, but you can certainly see the ways in which shoes which significantly modify the way your feet are used can deform your feet and posture.
Nutrition, excercise, running, all seem to make anyone comfortable giving advice, with even the smallest amount of anecdotal personal experience.
Why is it you can walk into a gym (or any place) and be told with such confidence the best way to run, eat, sleep?
It's not that I don't want to hear it, I'd love to hear how to best do these things. Just don't make every bit of advice you have an extrapolation of what worked for you or for what you saw work for one other guy.
Barefoot running sounds great to me. I like to do it, it feels good, it's very intuitive, it evokes the romance of nature, freedom, even spirituality. Does that prove the commercial products out there have no benefit? Does it prove everyone should switch to barefoot running? Does it mean I should go down to a gym and try to convince people to do it?