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> what event could trigger a reversal to this behavior?

People realising that addiction to stimulus results, over the years, in lower economic power and less overall happiness?

I don't know if today's phone-addicted teens will end up with lower-paying jobs down the line, but it wouldn't surprise me.

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The hacker community has clearly created software that masses of people find incredibly useful and worthwhile. How is that success something to be compared to a cocaine addiction? Have you heard stories about people trading sexual favors for 20 more megabytes when their data has run out?

I didn't compare smartphone addiction to cocaine addiction, which wrecks and ends lives.

I do think, however, that something can be incredibly useful and worthwhile and still have some negative effects. Everything in moderation and all that. I believe that, in time (many years), people will figure out what these effects are and how to avoid them, just like (to oversimplify) one can enjoy wine without any ill effect.

So you're saying this software is found less useful and worthwhile than cocaine since people aren't willing to prostitute themselves for another shot?

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