I did not read the article and I am not going to necessarily disagree with what others here are saying. However, I personally know of several of my classmates that went OTD, long before internet was a prevalent as it is today.
There is no hard a fast rule as to why kids go OTD, and internet MAY be a factor in some of them. Yet the internet can also be a factor in bringing people back.
I personally think the reason we’re seeing more and more of this is because of the quality of the education kids get in school and the non-availability of parents at home as we have to work much harder to make it financially. In regard to the schooling, the Yeshiva system and Rabbeim have not kept up with the times and generally have no idea what they’re really up against. because there is so much more information available to kids today, they are more savvy and can see through most of the old way of teaching.