Obvious as it may sound, people with authoritarian beliefs hiding behind free speech actually consider it as a weakness akin empathy. It allows losers like them to amplify their reach despite not being in power. They abandon their “free speech absolutist” postures the moment they think they are in power.
It doesn’t necessarily surprise me, but I just expected more from our generation for some reason. It seems like people are degrading to the point where fully grown adults are pushing these boundaries on purpose like the teenagers you speak of. I do not remember it being this bad 10 years ago.