The alternative explanation (apart from the "watching TV while doing other stuff" thing) is that people are _also_ addicted to TV. Smartphones are also active

The alternative explanation (apart from the "watching TV while doing other stuff" thing) is that people are _also_ addicted to TV. Smartphones are also active consumption, but there's clearly addictive stuff involved. And lots of mobile games play off of addictive tricks to get you into it! I used to have a lot more time for gaming, and I would end up playing the same multiplayer game for a long time. But by the time I realized I didn't actually enjoy it, I would have already spent 6 months to a year religiously going to the game and grinding out sessions just to try and get some fun out of it. But most of the time it was just an addiction to the initial feeling, + loot box-y bullshit. Just because something is a status quo doesn't make it normal/healthy/whatever.