Gen Z here, I actually had the exact opposite problem. I don't really use a smartphone now, but when I did use it daily, while I could get into some article rabbitholes, it was never to a painful extent. Probably because the phone is small and not at all comfortable to interact with long-term. But when I am on the laptop - I often lose track of time spent on IRC, youtube and newsfeeds. I now try to strictly limit the time to only what's needed (unless IRC has a conversation that is really relevant for me), and download most articles onto an E-reader for a less painful experience.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that phone OSes and apps are designed to steal our attention at all the times. I find it hard to do stuff while receiving notifications here and there, or even knowing that a new notification may pop up at any time. If fells like trying to do something while someone is watching and poking me all the time.