I think this problem is getting worse, not better. There are people who rarely look up from their phones. At the rehab center I go to, there are people who sit on the machines absent-mindlessly going through their reps, all the while never glancing up from their phones. It’s an epidemic.
Our brains are wired to get little “happy hits” of dopamine off of social media posts, online videos, mobile games, and more. Our smartphones are engineered to make us crave them. Tech companies actually hire psychologists, neuroscientists, and social science experts to help them hack the human brain and keep people coming back for more.
Scary stuff. For more including helpful tips to reduce your phone time, check out this USA Today story.