The Gen-X version of spanking

This is a NY Times article (in the fashion section; if it weren't for Google, how would we find stuff like this?) that claims parents yell at their kids more than parents used to and then goes into a long thing about whether this is harmful to kids. Everybody seems to agree it's not a good thing, but there doesn't seem to be actual research about it as there is for the effects of spanking on intellectual development. The worst these folks can come up with is it might be "damaging to a child's sense of well-being and self-esteem."