Better sardonic writing than Neil Postman's 'Amusing Ourselves to Death' wherein in 1986 no less, he presaged exactly what you are writing about.

Heard this great interview on CBC radio, that's right R-A-D-I-O, with former US ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins.

Essentially, one of his key points was because both parents have to work, there's really no time to raise more than one child...we can't afford it anyway.

That means that there's no younger ankle-biting, shin-kicking tell-all little rat fink to control, learn diplomacy in the process and how to care for others.

Or mete out the odd cuff to the back of the head...and still learn to share in the process.

And the youngest misses out having an older brother or sister to run to when Mum and Dad are busy or learning that life sometimes is not fair.

Or, as my little monster sister learned under my tutelage, it takes practice and patience to become utterly devious.

In China, this lack of siblings in their One-Child Policy has created the "Giant Infant' (Jù yīng) phenomenon, which speaks for itself.

But back to Wilkins, he said that since real wages in the West had not increased since the mid to early 1970's, and inflation was running rampant, both parents HAD to work (often 3.5 jobs).

'Gee, isn't it nice to have that babysitter, the TV so handy, keep Billy's special friend 'Mr. Fork' from the outlet? ' became 'At least the little bastard is learning on his digital devices, you know Honey, he can do and be anything!..Honey...you awake?'

Come on, the Internet has to be the creepiest babysitter since Caligula took care of his sister, especially given that the average 11-year-old has already had their first experience with porn.

The Big Babies we are busy creating comes down all the factors you've outlined as well as the unconscionable division of wealth.