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But they are really different, though. I always joke that when I was a kid, being sent to your room was a punishment, nowadays, it’s a reward. Pretty much every Gen Z kid I know has no desire to get a driver’s license. They don’t want the independence or responsibility. My friends who teach on the university level tell me that their undergrads struggle with the basics of being an independent adult. 

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No?

Things do change, and I do think the problems are different. But that doesn't mean the current generation Z and Alpha kids are better or worse than previous generations. I highly recommend Jean Twenge (https://www.jeantwenge.com/) who has studied generation difference for years, and her book Generations is one of my favorite books ever!

I even did an in-service, largely inspired by her work, on teaching gen Z and alpha.

And yes, the biggest change is technology....with every generation. Teens today grew up with smartphones, as people my age were the first kids to grow up with a television. Kids being born today (gen Beta) are going to grow up with AI. The tech gets more extreme.

We gen Xers were the kids who raised ourselves, whereas "helicopter parenting" has been around for decades now.