Can you name some of those consequences in "western society" you believe were caused by "coddling helicopter gov't" actions, similar to regulating advertising addictive products to minors?

Yes. Society-wide we see an increased abdication of personal responsibility and general apathy. Increased mental illness. Severe feelings of loneliness and isolation brought about due to atomization by a government that's operated like a consultancy avoiding any liability or risk.

That maybe so, but those are a lot of different areas to cover. Perhaps specific examples, trends, and/or causes would help support each claim.

For example, how is it the government's fault, in particular? Is it only the government's fault? Are there other contributing factors or trends? It comes across too much like oversimplified scapegoatism rather than a reasoned explanation.

Except these are problems in most modern developed nations, whether they “coddle” their populace or not.

Perhaps our economic system and its focus on efficiency in a race to the bottom, externalities be damned, also bears a small responsibility.

I'm curious which government regulation would cause increased mental illness/loneliness? I mean, I'm sure somewhere it's happening because of gov't, but to say it's the main contributor instead of problems like lack of access to good therapy, cultural shifts in how you talk to people, etc., in my mind seems largely a misplacement of blame.

I completely agree. The amount of pearl clutching happening in this thread is fascinating. It reminds me very much of the 1980’s fundamentalist Christian house I was raised in. Very much like it.

How is society improved by letting 8 year olds gamble?

Would you rather find out your kid has a gambling problem (or addictive personality in general) at 8 or 16?

- Children learn applied mathematic principles earlier, such as odds and optimizations

- Gives children a chance to materially understand the meaning of a dollar

- Allows for demonstrations of propositional logic and formal reasoning