Well, I kind of hate to say it, but the level of abuse has been skyrocketing due to practical godlessness problems. God (when taken at face character, not as an excuse) tends to be an influence towards mercy — and parents can find it very easy to be selfish when demands grow intense.
One thing the government could NOT do, however, is to tame the tongue. That kept on dishing out gratuitous lashings and the result has echoed (literally) throughout society. This is a God sized problem and needs a God sized answer.
I’m Catholic, as is my entire family. My sibling, cousins and I were never belittled or otherwise verbally attacked by our parents or other adult family members-if we were lectured, it was in a level, logical voice, sometimes accompanied by a finger shaken at you. The message got across better than it would with shouting and hysterics-the reasons why the behavior was unacceptable was always clearly stated...