I think its not just kids anymore, it’s adults too. Everyone is glued to their screens these days. But kids are more vulnerable to influences from “social” media and don’t have any defences to the psychological warfare going on. Of course they feel like shit.
It’s our generation’s cigarettes.
“I don’t know, everyone was just doing it” is what we’ll say and what prior generations have said about smoking everywhere all of the time.
The stimulation from and addiction to nicotine or social dopamine … it’s the same shit. The weird marketing, branding and business capture big tech has now could look just like the marketing and wealth of cigarettes in the past.
It’s worth noting that cigarettes are physically addictive and cause cancer.
So no. phones =/= cigarettes. It’s embarrassing that I have to say this.