Why does anyone think this is a new phenomenon?
It happened in Europe as well, and in America in previous generations.
We had a relative grace period, b’chasdei Hashem, for a few decades, after WWII, so our generation perceives it as a new phenomenon. It’s also a new yetzer hara, for the street, whereas in Europe the yetzer hasa was for secular “enlightenment” and in America, acceptance into secular society.