Are laundry instructions different in the US?

I know that a lot of Americans use the dryer for all their laundry. I am in Europe and while we do own a dryer, I mainly use it for towels and bedsheets and maybe some of my husband's cotton t-shirts. I hate hanging up laundry and it's so much work for a family of 4 but I have checked the washing instructions and tumble drying is forbidden for almost all of them. Are the instructions different in the US or do Americans simply ignore them? I have read as the general rule that anything stretchy or anything with a print should not go into the dryer which basically includes all my and the kids' clothes.