SBF:
It’s funny how people assume any indications of distractions or exaggeration are peculiar to JWs when in fact you get the same in other groups, often more so.
Agreed. I had a conversation with some game wardens in New England and they explained how fishing and hunting licenses have gone way down among the youth who had traditionally been strong supporters of both sports for over a century. When I asked what the youth are doing with their time instead, they said "playing games on their cellphones." It's actually damaged the tax income for this state and they've had to revamp their budget because of it. Furthermore, sales of hunting and fishing gear have also plummeted, damaging the sporting goods industry there.
I was speaking to a Jewish woman about the youth in their synagogue, that is, the few who still attend because their parents want them to. She told me of two teens who I happen to know. She said they attend but are 100% disengaged the entire time, spending the entire hour plus on their cellphones, oblivious to what the congregation is doing.
The fact is that the cell has, for very many youth, become the center of their lives, and this is bound to affect Witnessland too. It's everywhere.