I think the problem is that, at some point, the powers that be decided that “better” is synonymous with “more appended zeroes”. We (and presumably any society) could ostensibly have kept growing indefinitely, provided we agreed that the ever-increasing personal wealth of the few (to the detriment of the many) does not constitute growth.

but I do think something needs to be done that doesn’t just hand wave it off as “let the parents do their job” because we don’t live in that world.

We absolutely could live in that world, but we’re never gonna get there if people like you continue to pass the buck to others who should not at all be tasked with being responsible for other people’s children—particularly not corporations run by billionaires who have been raping or facilitating the rape of children for decades.