has metal playing technique affected how kids learn guitar today?

Both Yngwie and Paul Gilbert had a better technique in their early years than anyone could ever dream of having now. People don't pay as much attention to guitar practice now, and the ones who do, they probably can't even write a decent song.

Worse still, they don't get noticed for their talent and instead it's the shite musicians of popular music that get the job particularly for other reasons. Or they get stuck with a bum-deal with a record company i.e Necrophagist and relapse records.
 
Worse still, they don't get noticed for their talent and instead it's the shite musicians of popular music that get the job particularly for other reasons. Or they get stuck with a bum-deal with a record company i.e Necrophagist and relapse records.

That's the third case, but Ibanez amongst other's have been trying to get real musician's to get noticed.
 
I don't think modern popular music has been affected at all. I do think a new bar has been set for guitar players nowadays though. With all the information available on the internet, and the millions of great guitar courses you can take at ANY college, technically amazing guitarists are popping out everywhere. All these guitarists lack what many of the players in the 80's had, and that was the feeling and passion reflected in their playing. Compared to guitarists nowadays, the guitarists of the 80's are not up to today's standards of technical playing.

In regards to your question though, I think that modern guitar technique is going to affect "future" modern music much more than 80's technique is affecting today's music.
 
I personally don't like shredding that much. Sure, it's impressive and i wish I had chops like that, but I'd rather be able to write solos like David Gilmour. It's all about the song for me.