What do your 10-13 year olds do outdoors alone?

[HRTQuestions]

DS is currently wandering up and down the path between the blocks of flats which share our garden, but no one is coming out to play. He's been there 45 minutes (because the alternative is to tidy his room 😂)
He could, if he had any interest and if he wasn't grounded to our property, go to the park next door and use the basketball hoop but he has the concentration span of a gnat and has never been any good at entertaining himself.
What do your DC do if they're out and alone? I will probably have to go and get him soon as he has resorted to clapping and hooting to listen to the echo...

From 10, DS would go over friends houses and have friends over or meet at the recreation ground, from 12 he would make occasional arrangements to go bowling (just in town, walk or cycle) or to laser tag (catch train with a friend).

People always say this as if it was so much better in the ‘good old days’ but I can’t imagine I would have had much fun sitting outside by myself with nothing to do as a child. Nobody would.

People always say this as if it was so much better in the ‘good old days’ but I can’t imagine I would have had much fun sitting outside by myself with nothing to do as a child. Nobody would.

I'm not sure how long ago the "good old days" were but when I was young there was always someone playing out, and on the rare occasion there wasn't we'd knock on doors "Does xx want to come out to play?" Or phone our mates to ask if they wanted to meet up if they lived further away.

My 11 yo is autistic so I can't let him out alone unless he's in the garden or on our very large shared driveway. Fortunately we both prefer the outdoors so we do miles of walking/cycling and spend lots of time at a skatepark locally.

I do allow him to knock for a friend who is a few doors down and they usually come back here. He's not allowed to wander though. When I was 11 I lived in the woods behind our house largely. We'd go out first thing during the holidays and be back by teatime or if we were hungry. Life seemed less threatening then.

Life isn't more threatening now. There's just more stuff in the news, on SM etc.
People haven't suddenly got more dangerous.