I do think apps should force people to actually scroll through ToS at a normal reading speed or tldr the horrible things they will do to you front and center like we forced the tobacco industry to do.

Most of humanity enjoyed their lives without pocket internet until the last couple decades. Saying people cannot be happy without that is like saying they cannot be happy without smoking.

This Apple or Google phone culture is a false dichotomy.

I run a b2b tech company in silicon valley, and have endless technical hobbies and do not need Apple or Google products or a cell carrier to be happy.

It is always possible to choose tech that you own and control. It just takes a bit more research because the open ecosystems lack marketing budgets.