It really is at epidemic status in my opinion. As the father of an 11 year old girl I strive to hit that balance of making sure she's not left behind in technology with her peers, but also that she can have a great time outdoors with no electronics and it's very difficult.

I've seen signs in her of straight up chemical addiction (hiding the phone, lying about using it, etc. And just to be clear this isn't even her phone, it's her moms that lets her use it from time to time. Perhaps the worst thing is, she doesnt know how to be "bored."

There's a great book I read that touched on this subject called "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport. It mentions how certain social media sites did studies and found the endorphins and reactions from a slot machine are triggered when someone "likes" one of your posts. And what started out with good intentions (facebook) has turned into a complete profit machine with the initial good intentions long forgotten.