With that out of the way, let me try and address this article, as someone who played with LEGO bricks in the 1980s and 1990s and has offspring that do so today:
1. The Instructions: There are more instructions in sets that are complex. The Model Team truck and helicopter set had 1,000+ pieces and tons of instructions almost thirty years ago. [1] There are still sufficient sets that are not complex and a wide variety of sets that come with no instructions. Not a valid argument.
2. The sets: Again, another fallacy. Non-branded sets still exist. Branded sets existed twenty years ago. This is a complaint about bad parenting (giving in to every demand from your children), not Lego.
3. The building method: Another fallacy. The building methods are up to individuals. You are free to buy whatever set you want and build whatever you want. You are, in fact, still allowed to take apart sets the day after you make them. (I notice that my children are very excited to do this as I was at their age but I am not).
4. Gendered toys: I have pored over local bylaws, UN directives, and have asked my priest. You can buy a Lego Friends set for your son, and a Lego Speed Champions set for your daughter. This is a parenting problem, not a Lego problem.
5. The advertising: This may be a valid point, but not for this argument because it does not affect the toys themselves any more than I could buy Legos at Toys R Us thirty years ago but not today.
6&7. The blocks & minifigs: Simple blocks are still available and you can build exclusively with those if you wish. Minifig choices are better as it allows to build different things (i.e. the cast of Top Gear UK).
8. Branding: I don't like branding in Lego, but this has been the case for at least twenty years. If you don't like the branding, you can buy unbranded sets.
1 = https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=5590...