I just started reloading not long ago. But for years and years I heard and read just buy him or her a 30-06, .270, .308, insert any cartrige you want .... then just load it down for them until they can handle stouter loads. This advise works great for those that reload or have friends that do. They manage their own recoil. THe important thing is that the shooter who is using these down-loaded rounds or the facotry managed recoiol stuff must also hunt with the same load or resight their rifle. I do not think anyone was advocating having someone practice with a light load and then giving them full power loads to hunt with.

But for the many Americans it is not possible for them to buy a starter gun and then a larger rifle later. And many are unwilling to make the investment into reloading. For them the new managed recoil rounds make sence. They can now buy their son a rifle of X caliber and "load" it with down loaded ammo untill they get old enough to handle "normal" loads.

I started out shooting an 06 at 14. I survived it with no flinch. My older brother did not and is now recoil shy and does not hunt. That was far too many years ago. I am not going to do that to my sons. But when I was growing up my dad did not have the finalcial resources to buy us a starter and then another rifle later. We each got a rifle we could use the rest of our lives ... 2 of us got 30-06 and one got a .308. My father still does not reload. Fortunately I both reload AND am in a financial possition to buy my sons multiple rifles as they grow. So I can manage recoil on many levels.

Yes there is a lot of hype on managed recoil. There is even more on the short fats. To each there own.

Despite all the hype there is nothing more importantthan bullet placement. And if managed recoil rounds allow families to introduce young kids to hunting in an enjoyable way we will all be richer in the end.

I have read that in spite of the relatively large number of rifles made, sold and owned in the US, the majority sit in closets. For an ammunition manufacturer the problem is not selling guns so much as selling ammo to those who already own guns, ie. getting them to shoot the darn things. As a group AR members probably buy more ammunition than the average gun owner and, because we reload, we probably shoot a hekuva lot more than the average gun owner. We don't need "managed recoil" because we already manage recoil in a variety of ways which you have all mentioned: muzzle breaks, rifle weight, reduced loads, stock configuration, etc.
But I repeat, our rifles aren't gathering dust in closets. Ammunition manufacturers have from time to time loaded "target" loads for handgun ammunition but most didn't make a commercial success of it. The same may happen to "managed recoil" loads. But if it gets those dust gathering rifles out to the range then maybe it's not a bad idea.