I've worked with kids in various capacities through the years;

I've worked with kids in various capacities through the years;
lately with a self-esteem/anti-bullying campaign I've been on
[teaching coping skills / be yourself - stuff like that].

Anyway, I've noticed more civility, gratitude and genuine-ness
among them than I often see in supposedly adult discussion
groups.

Civility is, indeed, an impressive thing to find online, and
worth celebrating. Sad that it should be so, but the celebration
is necessary, imo, to reinforce it and help it continue. GenZ -
growing up online as they are, with a wider perspective than we
had (isolated in our communities with our families and schools)
- will improve the future world somewhat. I believe it, but then
again, I'm biased. I tend towards a bit of futurism. But alas,
We will try to confuse them and we will try to stay in control
for as long as possible so that we can keep all the money, jobs,
and whatever silly things that are a part of adult life, to
ourselves.

I was lucky; I was able to get a job at 13, make a little money,
have a bank account, learned to manage money.

Now today? [at least in the USA] - kids can't have bank
accounts, jobs, any of those things. Increased dependence. It's
not even extended childhoods per se, but extended dependence.
The imagination has no age limits though - not exclusive to
childhood