When I was a child, I do not have to involve in any kind of conversation started by my elders, be it an adult talk or my age appropriate talk. You do not have to join a conversation unless an adult asks you a question or you were engaged by the elders.
Sometimes, elders will ask you a question during an argument, you have the answer but you'll choose not to say because you are unsure how both parties will react to your answer. As a child, you'll only talk with your age mates.
But things are changed now; children can easily meddle into adults conversation and even stage an argument with their elderly ones. I am glad I wasn't born in this Gen Z. Many things are wrong but are being seen as the new normal.
It wasn't always about Respect, sometimes kids were just kept in the dark or too scared to say anything. Knowing the answer to the argument and not saying a word out of fear and submitting weren't positive things, they simply meant you kids didn't have a voice. Things changed and children are taught to speak out now.
OK, some go too far and become rude, that's another issue.
But they're supposed to speak out. You need that to teach them to think for themselves.
You are correct in some ways, this is not a one way thing.
Concerning children being kept in the dark, the parents of the past generation believed that children have no experience and as well should not contribute to decision making. In that generation, age + experience = wisdom. That was the formula and children didn't have experience, so they were considered not wise to make decisions nor suggest.
But this generation, things turned around and fell apart for the old. Children now own the internet and now bring to the knowledge of elders things happening around the world. I will say the availability of information and technology changed everything.
I am not condemning this generation; as someone that witnessed both generations, I think I love the past generation more than this. The greatest advantage of this generation over the past one is; becoming rich is so easy now...