alt Hacker NewsMine was a quip, but if we want to go deeper: like any phenomenon, it's obviously a combination of cultural, economic, and social factors; but it's hard not to take the marxist view that it's all about the economy when we get bombarded every second by advertising for food, the composition of which is largely dictated by considerations about profit margins. Even pasta is not produced in the same way as 80 years ago, not even from the same ingredients (half the wheat used in Italian pasta now comes from Canada and other places).
Well, you are completely correct of course. That being said... even as an european, I prefer, forge myself and push on my kids a different path - don't wait for the system to make your life great, system is flawed to the core due to process we keep using to promote elites to full power (to make it short - nice good humans don't stand a chance in the race of power, society voted for loudest sociopathic assholes doing primitive sweet talk and thats enough, again and again).
Take ownership of your life, and inspire others to do the same. Make choices, understand consequences as much as reasonable, and there is comparatively little to complain.
When I look around since I am not the youngest, the most miserable people are those who just sit back in their 'comfort zone', and expect above to be fixed for them. It ain't coming, their life is a pale shade of what-could-have-been, health goes to crap, so does mood and everything else. Its not comforting place in any way, they are just too scared to experience any form of discomfort to move away from it, and often look for similarly-minded echo chambers where they went their endless frustrations from life they chose for themselves.
I agree state and regulators should be doing their part, massively better, but so should all of us. Those that do have usually much better and longer and happier lives. What more reasons does anybody need.