I'm not sure that society has changed, so much as we're under a microscope more than any other time in history.
I'm not a stranger to saying things that I later regret. I'm grateful that none of it has been recorded (to my knowledge).
If you're asking what I would do...it would be to treat him with the same level of mercy and compassion that I would want in those moments.
...and as pointed out by other posters, teach my children that biting their tongue in those moments is always the best approach.