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Notes -
This ignores a confounding variable- the overwhelming majority of CPS reports come from state mandated reporters(mostly teachers), and there's probably cycles in how sensitive those state mandated reporters are. An increasing reportage percent in the early two thousands has an obvious explanation- with the Catholic Church and BSA sex abuse scandals in the news, reporting requirements got stricter and continuing ed for those reporters got more intense. That probably explains the increase in 2000's investigation rates by itself.
Answering your questions-
I see preteen children out and about by themselves, on bicycles or walking, pretty regularly in the summer, usually traveling in groups. I see kids playing in front yards a lot too.
I was allowed to walk to the library or the convenience store at an early age, perhaps ten is fair. I didn't get sent to the grocery store until I could drive, possibly for cargo-related reasons, but I did get sent into the grocery store while my mom sat on her phone in the parking lot.
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