It's more common in America only because university costs have skyrocketed in the United States to astronomical proportions.
But even with America it's a class thing. For the upper middle class and above you can consider college funds along with summer camps, piano lessons, private SAT tutors, etc. as optional expenses for kids that everyone would love to be able to afford but not everyone can.
For those that can afford them it's great. But for those who can't, it can be kind of an affront to see it thrown about as something any loving parent would provide their child with.
> It's more common in America only because university costs have skyrocketed in the United States to astronomical proportions.
True in general, but not in the specific. The "big name" universities, mainly private, and the UC system have become so expensive that they are out of reach for the typical working stiff with a high school diploma. That does not mean that every university, or even every university worth attending, is priced that way. Most people in the United States have access to a public university system that will offer them a bachelor's degree that can be paid for solely by working for ordinary wages over the course of 3-6 years. Many of those with good academic records would also qualify for scholarships, and from one's second year onward there are often assistantship positions (teaching, research, administrative) available that may be more convenient or lucrative than other work. Despite the doom-and-gloom you read here and pretty much everywhere else, a 17-year-old American does have choices other than an uneducated lifetime of grinding poverty or entering the workforce half a million dollars in debt.
But even with America it's a class thing. For the upper middle class and above you can consider college funds along with summer camps, piano lessons, private SAT tutors, etc. as optional expenses for kids that everyone would love to be able to afford but not everyone can.
For those that can afford them it's great. But for those who can't, it can be kind of an affront to see it thrown about as something any loving parent would provide their child with.