> This is odd to hear since that "free roam" idea of letting them wander for miles unsupervised is all the rage on here. I'd say that's much more reckless than letting them use the internet.

I wouldn't. The real world has laws and rules, and people to enforce them. The internet (in all practical situations) is lawless and completly unpoliced.

That's not inherently a bad thing (I like having an open internet). But it's not something I'd ever expose a child to.

I'd easily let my own child wander the neighborhood unsupervised, long before I'll let my child wander the open internet unsupervised.