Re "And yet, they note, nobody seems to have spent much time researching why this pervasive illusion persists." What pervasive illusion? Kids have always been terrible, amoral little beasts. There is a Biblical instruction to stone unruly teenagers, and I am sure the sentiment went back to prehistoric times. The civilization of children was a task taken on for the entirety of human existence. And, as is said, "it takes a village."
Re "And yet, they note, nobody seems to have spent much time researching why this pervasive illusion persists." What pervasive illusion? Kids have always been terrible, amoral little beasts. There is a Biblical instruction to stone unruly teenagers, and I am sure the sentiment went back to prehistoric times. The civilization of children was a task taken on for the entirety of human existence. And, as is said, "it takes a village."