If anything the easy access to information and apps are a lower barrier of entry than in the past meaning you can be dumber and still participate.

Yes, exactly this. I'm old enough to remember the Eternal September and the inherent assumptions built into that criticism - prior to that, the Internet population tended to be skewed toward very smart people in the engineering/technique kind of sense, but also I would say quite a few were lacking in emotional intelligence and/or wisdom as well and it would be hard to argue they were any better at critical thinking and/or media literacy. I remember people lamenting how "easy" AOL made it ( ironically, probably something quite a few of our "tech savvy" younger generations of today might find way too onerous to bother with, LOL).

But I certainly do chuckle at the notion that "kids just know tech better" just by virtue of using a touch interface from early childhood and having intimate knowledge of a few branded platforms. I mean, UX, when it comes to commercial software products, is about making sure people are not breaking their brains on using those products. They are specifically designed so even the dumbest (usually with a "but can your mother/grandmother understand it" kind of discussion by the builders) in the population can use it. Familiarity with a product/platform is no more "tech savvy" than knowing all about Nike makes someone a top athlete.

this generation grew up with tablets and iPhones, they have no idea how to do some incredibly basic tasks unless an app does it for them

Yep, I've been completely underwhelmed with what constitutes being "tech savvy" for a lot of people in that age range. For some of them, if it isn't a product (and a popular one), it's like it doesn't register for them. They think in terms of brands when it comes to technology.

Tech aside, I would love for schools at K-12 and at higher levels of learning to incorporate critical thinking and media literacy instruction. It would be an uphill battle though, probably at the very outset, but certainly after reactionary parents start noticing that their kids don't think just like them. For some reason, people seem to believe that school is just a glorified job training program, and that anything outside of that is off-limits, meaning, their kids are expected to come out believing the exact same shit going into school as when they come out. I view that as an education FAILURE if a student comes out believing exactly what their parents believe in the end without ever having questioned any of it. Of course, if children deviate even slightly from what their parents/pastor/community believes, the wingers think that is "indoctrination".

I have written and moderated courseware for education students focusing on digital literacy. A requirement for graduation, pass/fail. I was so excited to start the project. I was so disappointed by the end.

The teachers to-be had very little digital literacy overall, and very little ability to recognize that or care. Too many passed, by design of the department heads. It was saddening to realize that most of them were headed out into the world with indifference to social media processes and little ability to recognize digital manipulation, and to share that indifference with children.

I actually disagree. They're the same kids. The problem isn't that this is a different demographic, or even that the same demographic has suddenly become malicious and ill-meaning. It's that that's not how they see Trump. They're not as educated on his past actions, being too young to vote and therefore too young to care during the 2016 or even the 2020 election cycle. They're bombarded day-in, day-out by news media and social media giving them conflicting information. For many of them, their beliefs boil down to "well, my parents seem to think Trump is good for the economy, and there's too much other stuff to pick through," and a single-issue voter is born.

Others are simply tired of standing for morally and ethically good issues, only to be constantly told that, as young men or white people, they're the issue. When you fight for someone else for so long and are still met with people who blame you for being born just because you seek a deeper understanding (as one 16 year old student in my class recently did when he tried to ask what the problems with Trump genuinely are), it becomes easy to fall into the political sports team paradigm.

And these are far from the only two reasons. But we have to try an understand that the same students who want the environment saved are the ones who vote Trump, because no other option speaks to them.