As one of these new entitled cadets people are talking about, yeah my generation do think its normal to have a phone on them all the time. A big problem is sharing and documenting every second of their lives.
I've had friends get in serious trouble for posting things to Facebook without the company's permission, it's simply not worth it. Its a shame here that the Captain is getting in trouble when leaving an FO alone in cruise shouldn't be a big deal, its not a regulation or a standard.
On extensive training costs however, have a go at the guys our age paying to fly on their parents money. The only reason the training is so expensive is because people are willing to pay it. Its a total shame as well that it prices out those potential great, professional pilots who arent born wealthy.