Are things better now or worse than a years ago? It calls for a reflective and honest look as history. It all just depends on the kids you are looking at. You always can find the bad ones and the there are always good ones.
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
Parents determine the behavior of their children. If a parent is willing to take the time and work at being consistent,children benefit. If you say "no",it must mean"no".It may mean that as a parent, you must get off that sofa and physically STOP a child from misbehaving; even requiring the child to remain in a "time out" location for inappropriate behavior.
Parents who try to discipline their children by just telling them to stop a behavior, are not teaching the children respect authority, nor are they helping the child to become a responsible adult. Having said that, there seems to be a greater number of parents who are unwilling to spend the time and effort necessary to properly teach their children how to behave, resulting in a greater number of children who miss behave.
Family life compared to a hundred years ago is on the decline. Everyone moves at a fast pace these days. My Father and Mother are working to maintain the home, while my sisters and my brother are left to their own devices and there isn't a coming together to sit down and communicate on some level. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day. Technology has advanced so much compared to a hundred years ago, that we are well on our way to fuel less cars and robotic companions. Yet, with advanced technology comes the added responsibilities to maintain and seek out other avenues for even far move advanced technologies to help support the life styles we have come accustomed to. Is this then better than before when we were thankful just to have light and running water in the house?