No that’s not my underlying assumption
> have time to persue
The scenario is commute takes time, you save 2 hours commuting. All other things being equal that is your time to peruse hobbies.
> have opportunities near me
Not my assumption, many people socialise over video games over the internet. There are many other internet social communities. Geographical proximity is not a strict requirement.
> As someone with kids, free time..
Not relevant - see comment above about more free time from not commuting.
My actual assumptions are you commute to work and you can’t use that time to socialise. Approximate round trip commute time is 2 hours not including prep time.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere - If your only possible hobby is socialising at work then it sounds like WFO is for you.
That doesn’t automatically mean many other people are socially worse off from WFH. Many people have other social hobbies they can do or don’t mind picking up.