If only all social problems could be solved so easily. Theft? It only happens because (some) people keep stealing. They should just stop.
In the absence of people just doing what I think is right instantly and without question, I pity the child whose parents solve this anxiety by trapping them in the house 16 hours a day.
I don’t understand your example. Theft is complicated to solve because the one stealing gets a benefit from doing it. To solve that you need to change the cost/benefit balance for everyone.
To solve the over anxious parent problem you just need to get up to two people to chill out. It provides an immediate benefit for them (they will be chill) while it also provides them a long term benefit (a well adjusted offspring).
What is the supposed paralel here? Or what should be my takeaway from your comparision be?
helicopter parents believe they are getting the benefit of keeping their child safe, and convincing them otherwise is extremely nontrivial. To solve the over anxious parent problem (societally) we have to convince all of them, not just one set.
Gambling, alcoholism, or hard drugs might be a more apt comparison. Quitting obviously reaps huge benefits short and long term and yet we as a society still have not solved these problems by saying "just don't actually".
Once we acknowledge that, it becomes obvious that finding ways to reduce harm is good.
In the absence of people just doing what I think is right instantly and without question, I pity the child whose parents solve this anxiety by trapping them in the house 16 hours a day.