I grew up in the 70´s and 80´s and there is some truth in the article.
My parents often had no idea where I was when I was not at home. That was quite normal.
I usually had some mechanical puzzles or kits assembly required as gifts for my niece and nephew. It took some effort to keep my sister from helping the kids with it. To her it was not easy to understand that the gadget was not the actual gift. Gadgets like radio receivers or bat detectors are so much nicer when you soldered them together on your own.
It´s really ironic that some parents would deprive kids of success by trying to ensure that they do not fail.