Well they had a rough idea of where we were and what we were doing but none of the technology available today. I didn't have cellphones or internet when I had kids, there simply wasn't any.It would have been cool to be part of that generation. Having helicopter parents know where you are and what you're doing at all times was kinda annoying.
What they did have was a very closely connected set of spys. ANY adult could question you and report back. Hell if they swatted you you didn't dare complain because your parents would have done twice the damage. Oh and they never EVER took your side against the teacher, even when the teacher was wrong. That was considered your job to learn to deal with difficult situations yourself. It was very different and you knew you could die or get in bad trouble. So we were a little more careful than kids today.
I don't ever remember seeing a depressed kid either. We were all very unhappy at times for external reasons and that was reinforced when I had my first job in Mental Health. They were different times from now. I'm not sure how we got here or why.