[ch4s3]

> close to Nicotine even

I find that incredibly hard to believe especially since nicotine causes a physical chemical dependency. Sure it is hard for some people to get off of social media, but let's no go overboard here with the social media == big tobacco metaphor.

[olyjohn]

Let's hear what you think about gambling addiction then. People have destroyed their lives and families due to it. No chemical dependency either.

[ch4s3]

Think about it for a minute, the harm from gambling is intrinsic because you are statistically likely to lose money. It's not so different from a behavioral addiction like gaming, but you can lose your house.

Chemical dependency just makes addictive behavior that much worse. Moreover there is literally no evidence that social media is harder to quit than cigarettes.

I think you're engaging in moral panic.

[Gormo]

I think it's possible to criticize things for what they are, without having to resort to conflating them with other things. Excessive gambling doesn't have to be equated to physical addiction in order to be regarded as a bad thing -- it can be a bad thing as a result of its own consequences without having to be compared to anything else.