There seems to be some truth in what you’re saying, ie. kids don’t feel a need to get their drivers license (studies show that a significant number of kids just aren’t driving), they’re more comfortable staying home, etc. but when you dig into the “why” it’s actually pretty depressing. With the ubiquitousness of digital tech, there seems to be less of a desire to have real life experiences, and kids seem to prioritize and maintain their online persona at the expense of other things that used to be rites of passage for older people. They also face constant “end of world” messaging — couple that with polarization, social and environmental decay, etc. and well no wonder the “kids aren’t alright.” Of course some of these assumptions are anecdotal but some are very real documented trends.

Considering all this I think it’s so important that adults act like adults and not coddle their kids. Interestingly some prelim studies are showing that generation Alpha are pushing back against a lot of the previous generational trends. Ie. they seem to lean more conservative, etc. Curious to see how this pans out..