I'm not so sure. There's a huge electronics/hardware hacking scene nowadays fueled by Raspberry Pis and Arduinos. It might actually be easier today for a kid to learn what he needed to know.
I mean, back in the 80s at best the kid probably only had the manual, a couple of programming books, and maybe a magazine subscription for reference.
JS is appearing everywhere, and Python isn't far behind. Both seem approachable for modest projects. Basic had its charms, yet also becomes difficult to maintain as it grows -- not unlike many modern stacks. I suppose the primary difference is the stack is deeper, with many more layers.
I recall a friend going deep with Basic in the 90s while I was more pragmatic. I only knew Batch scripting, Kilk n Play, and various other scripting and gaming tools. Yet I had already made several prototype games, more functionality, 3D models and character animations, and even learned some BBcode and HTML to help mod a gaming forum. He had ... some very unimpressive screen drawing demos.
The problem is you can’t just deploy this and forget it without regular security updates (with the likelihood of breakage in compatibility - python libs are particularly bad with this)
That said, the original radio based system is probably extremely easy to mess with if you have a basic SDR. It’s just that no one bothered so far.
As to be effective in today's world, already knowing that is more than many teenagers know beyond doing likes in social media.
My point is that kids in the 80s interested in computers likely had the skillset to do this job. Kids interested in programming today, they are more likely to be qualified to make the school a website, not program its heating system. I don't doubt some would be able to do it, but the field has grown so much that beginners necessarily must focus on specific areas, and I bet that is not often low level enough to do this job.
There are still plenty doing that; often getting their first exposure via the cracking scene.
