I think this is quite simple. The vast majority of people are looking for the silver bullet, the quick fix, instant gratification, etc.. If the "younger generation" has a problem today, IMHO, it is the fact we (The older generation) made so many things so easy for them. They also grew up in the time where "everyone wins", "everyone gets a trophy", blah, blah, blah. So they were taught they could be champions when in fact, all too many weren't even mediocre. No tough love.
It really is a matter of personal drive and priorities. I started my dedication to pool later in life after the children grew up and my financial well being was in place. I couldn't begin to put the practice hours, I put in now, 10 years ago. At least for me, priorities such as family and professional/financial came in higher. Of course, I could have prioritized differently but divorce, delinquent children and foreclosure were potential consequences of doing so.
Since this is the "Ask The Instructors" forum, I would add this. I think for people who don't have 8 hours or more per day to bang balls around and learn by trial and error, it is essential to have solid/good instruction. If you're practice doesn't yield evident, measurable results, staying motivated to continue to practice is going to be quite difficult. With that said, I think a big part of being a good instructor is providing the student with the right set of tools for their given skill set and capabilities so that, if used and practiced, will yield evident, measurable results. I don't know for sure but I would guess that is a non trivial task as it means each student will be somewhat unique. You can't take a complete cookie cutter approach. I also think part of the instructor's task is to provide that student with at least a rough outline of what their practice sessions should be.
These things are why I am so quick to praise Scott Lee. I frankly didn't practice much after my first lesson with Scott. My bad. When Scott came back for the second lesson and I saw how little I progressed in the video, with my stroke fundamentals, I was somewhat ashamed. I practiced diligently after the second lesson and in 5 months went from a low 5 to a very strong 6 in our local APA league. More importantly, I could see incremental improvements as I practiced. I saw results in my competitive play. At the recent 3rd lesson, while there were still some visible stroke flaws, the improvements were significant. Scott identified these flaws quickly, revisited some of the old "Mother Drills", provided me with new, fun drills to work on and gave me substantial new knowledge to put in my tool kit that I believe would have been wasted at the previous lesson but was appropriate for where I'm at right now. Aside from his vast knowledge of the game, Scott has the enthusiasm, patience and simply a gift for teaching.