The important point is that choosing to not have a smartphone is a totally valid way to "address [one's] problems" in order to "live a normal life," and I think

The important point is that choosing to not have a smartphone is a totally valid way to "address [one's] problems" in order to "live a normal life," and I think it's uncharitable to dismiss it as some kind of escapism or isolation. I mean, come on — preferring a low-tech phone is not like fleeing to an uninhabited island. To use my (perhaps silly) analogy, it's more like choosing not to keep any booze at home. Or to leave home without a hip flask. ;) Think about how weird it is that you would consider not having a smartphone as equivalent to "locking oneself up somewhere." Almost nobody had a smartphone until 2008.