In my day, we didn't have ChatGPT and kids who wanted to cheat on papers had to go to a *different* website where you could hire someone to write it for you really cheaply

That's so, but I think there's probably a huge difference in magnitude. I agree that there are reasons to be skeptical of "illiteracy." It's a different mode of engagement, and a different set of skills, and they may be learning from other sources anyway.

How much do I retain from the academic papers I wrote in college? Not much. How much do I retain of the stories I wrote for the student magazine? Lots.

I do think there are reasons to be alarmed by this trend, but I do wonder if it'll be as bad as predicted in the end.