A smartphone isn't an activity; it's a virtual place where activities happen. Kids (and, apparently, opinion-piece writers) don't usually understand this.
"My mom is on her phone too much!" could actually mean any/all of:
• my mom is a workaholic
• my mom is always chatting with her friends she had to move away from to give me a better place to live
• my mom is flirting on Tinder with my stepfather-to-be
• my mom is tired from work and zones out watching Youtube videos
• my mom is "addicted" to knowing what celebrities are up to so she has water-cooler conversation to share
• my mom is in a self-perpetuating fear spiral, feeding herself every horrible news story she can find even though she hates the feeling of reading them, and should probably see a therapist
• my mom is addicted to showing off on Facebook
• my mom likes reading books
Every one of these activities existed before smartphones; they just occurred in different places/formats.
You'd buy tabloids for the celebrity news; you'd watch the nightly news on cable; you'd flirt in bars; you'd travel to visit friends, or have long, nightly telephone calls with them; and you'd keep up with the real Joneses next-door instead of keeping up with the virtual Joneses on Facebook. And you'd be a workaholic by always being at the office, rather than by being home but inattentive.
"My mom is on her phone too much!" could actually mean any/all of:
• my mom is a workaholic
• my mom is always chatting with her friends she had to move away from to give me a better place to live
• my mom is flirting on Tinder with my stepfather-to-be
• my mom is tired from work and zones out watching Youtube videos
• my mom is "addicted" to knowing what celebrities are up to so she has water-cooler conversation to share
• my mom is in a self-perpetuating fear spiral, feeding herself every horrible news story she can find even though she hates the feeling of reading them, and should probably see a therapist
• my mom is addicted to showing off on Facebook
• my mom likes reading books
Every one of these activities existed before smartphones; they just occurred in different places/formats.
You'd buy tabloids for the celebrity news; you'd watch the nightly news on cable; you'd flirt in bars; you'd travel to visit friends, or have long, nightly telephone calls with them; and you'd keep up with the real Joneses next-door instead of keeping up with the virtual Joneses on Facebook. And you'd be a workaholic by always being at the office, rather than by being home but inattentive.