No, it was television. Once kids were able to see right before their eyes that (in many cases) there was a better world out there, it became impossible for their parents to lie to them about how good they had it and "traditional discipline" broke down. In the long run the change will be a good thing, but we are still going through a long, painful, and awkward transition period from an industrial society to an information society.
The advent of television transformed America in ways we still haven't begun to understand.
I'd argue that the internet today has the same level of effect on peoples' perversions as TV did for breaking down traditional discipline.
Although the article isn't exactly about TV or intenet and its affect on humans, both your posts were really inciteful.
May I add to the debate by arguing that mass literacy and newspapers had a similar affect in the previous century.
The results were then always superceded by a different medium. First in the 16th century books. In he 19th century newspapers, in the early 20th century radio, in the mid-20th TV in the late 20th internet.
Each medium opened up new world's and fostered in (violent) revolutions. With the Islamist movement, we have our violence sparked by the internet.
What is even more interesting is that the internet is evolving from a newspaper like medium into a TV-like medium as connections get faster. Should be interesting to see how this affects things as almost everyone has broadband and telephony becomes free.