I think Zoom hit the nail on the head...its as much the parents' fault as it is the kids'.
I grew up in a strict, military family. I was allowed to be a kid, but there were limits, and exceeding those limits usually meant I was put back in line with a backhand. You could do that in those days. Whether you consider it right or wrong, it worked when I got my arse kicked, because I REMEMBERED later on.
Today even toddlers have Family Services on speed-dial. Kids can't be disciplined the way they used to be (and I'm not condoning abuse here by any means), and they know it. So society has basically given them the freedom to get away with as much as they can.
Now...all that being said...my daughter just turned twelve. She's an A+ student going to a private school. She plays volleyball (back-to-back conference champs this past weekend), shoots competitive archery, rides horses, volunteers at a shelter and has more money saved in the bank than I do. Fortunately, she still thinks boys are 'icky', but I'll deal with that later.
I make it a point to spend time with my kid, to teach her right from wrong. Without being a helicopter parent, I know where she is, who her friends are, and she's a happy kid. Maybe that will change as she gets older, but I honestly believe that if some of these parents spent a little more time with their kids, we wouldn't have as many problems with them as we do.
J