Oh there's plenty of blame to go around for sure.
The banks, the schools, the government. Even the businesses supplying the job market with opportunities that over emphasize post secondary.
But at 17 or 18 you're not completely blameless either. You know there are consequences for the decisions you make and that you are ultimately responsible for your own actions. This is taught from grade school.
We don't give large loans to teenagers for any other reason.
Meanwhile teachers, parents, older students, friends and so on say "follow your heart" and it will all work out.
As a young adult? Let's see...
Drinking and driving, unprotected premarital sex, drug use and abuse...there are plenty. These are all decisions that a 17 or 18 year old has to make very regularly and the wrong decision can be very harmful.
To your point though, the decision around this massive student loan racket is the only one I can think of that was / is actively encouraged by so many parents and educators. Like I said, there's plenty of blame to go around. But that doesn't absolve the 17 or 18 year old of blame.