> I thought it used to be that parents were responsible for their kids - that's not even a thing now?

Parents have been blaming books, music and video games for decades.

Raising children with reading comprehension and critical thinking skills is hard.

Equally, from a governments point of view, creating citizens with critical thinking skills is hard. There is probably more chance they will frustrate the regime if they're capable of understanding its corruption.

Giving into desires and having children is the easy part. The bodies do all the work for you but after that the 2 decades of work really starts.

I'd say it's just an example of "never waste a good crisis". Parents want to complain at someone that essentially the society is too free and their children made mistakes they didn't prepare them for. The government feels pressured and uses the opportunity available to increase control.