Are today's kids different?

A few weeks ago I was complaining that publishers were ruining one of my favourite books, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, by replacing the deliciously horrifying illustrations I loved as a kid with new, tamer drawings.

Earlier this week, I read this article about how some parents aren't sharing traditional fairy tales with their children because they're "too scary" or "inappropriate." One example is Cinderella — apparently, some parents feel a storyline about a woman doing all the housework is outdated.

I still wonder, as I did in my post about Scary Stories, why these stories (or illustrations) were okay for me and my friends, but not okay for today's children. I'm curious to know what has changed. Are parents raising their kids differently than my parents raised me and my sister? Are today's kids actually different than I was i.e. more afraid?

What do you think? And are there certain books you loved as a child that you wouldn't read to your kids? Why do you think that is?