Even in the rough and tumble NY of 40 years ago, parents allowed kids to roam freely up until the tragic disappearance of Etan Patz in '79. [1]
Seems like that event and the subsequent media fearmongering is what really spurred the cultural shift towards helicopter parenting and a reduction in youthful independence in the US.
Considering credit companies and advertisers have been sprinting along this path of rating human beings for a while now, maybe Peeple (if executed well) can provide a necessary counterweight?
To play devils advocate here, doesn't the individual always have a responsibility to read the fine print rather than blindly plugging their credit card details into an offer for cheap shoes?