Hell, it wasn’t even considered committed in the 80s. Although I suppose different regions may have changed faster, in the South in the late 80s/early 90s, “going out” was what we said for “going steady”, while “dating” implied a more casual relationship. (And the actual term ‘dating’ was rarely used—I remember being asked, “you guys messin’?” after a couple dates with a boy.)
Hell, it wasn’t even considered committed in the 80s. Although I suppose different regions may have changed faster, in the South in the late 80s/early 90s, “going out” was what we said for “going steady”, while “dating” implied a more casual relationship. (And the actual term ‘dating’ was rarely used—I remember being asked, “you guys messin’?” after a couple dates with a boy.)
So yes, true.