The deeper issue is cultural legitimacy. Children no longer occupy an unquestioned place in adult life. Parenthood is treated as a lifestyle choice rather than a normal social role, and once something is framed as optional, it will be compared relentlessly to alternatives that promise more control, more leisure, and fewer irreversible commitments. In that environment, anti-kid sentiment does not need to convince everyone. It only needs to normalize opting out. And it has largely succeeded.