Student loans. Kids were sold the idea of financing their education on student loans and colleges have increased their cost structure accordingly. If you come out of college with $50k in debt and $30k in income, life is going to be hard indeed. It also means that you can't strike out on your own and start your own business, because you have a big bill due every month.
The current economy is particularly hard on younger people because we have a tax on job formation. We have put a per person tax the bottom rung of the economic ladder. Very bad policy.