Adults, including myself to some extent if I'm honest, in multiple ways act much more like children than any other age in history. This is a very recent phenomena, and I'm continually shocked by how unquestioned it is by most "adults" I know.
My suspicions is that our culture of neoteny is a byproduct of late capitalism. The ideal consumer is a mental and emotional toddler with the income of an adult professional: constantly wanting a new shiny toy or tasty treat to occupy their time, without the need for parental supervision to limit their ability to mean those desires.
When I look around I increasingly see the definition of "adult" being pushed back further and further in age (in another post people are going on about the myth that "mental maturity" starts at 25!)."Adults" that refuse to outgrow the wants of a child leads us to a world where we have dessert with every meal and Christmas is everyday (Amazon makes that possible). It also means a world were individuals refuse to take any responsibility for the reality they participate in.