[adpiucf]

I think these concerns existed among students when I was in college in the late 90s; it is just that now the internet is providing a forum for people to broadcast their concerns. I did not have helicopter parents; rather, mine were more of the free range variety, and I still had some anxiety about different experiences during college. It takes people time to adjust to new situations, particularly when they are on their own for the very first time, navigating new experiences, friendships, opportunities and disappointments. Helicopter parents are annoying, but they've always existed in some form. Now they have the internet to allow them to hover more broadly.

ETA: every generation feels that the one below them is going to hell and complains about their lack of respect, their lack of work ethic, their different social norms, etc. This is nothing new.