The only people with arguments supporting the DMA and making their assertions the conclusions are those who support this type of legislation. It’s okay to be for this type of legislation but at least argue honestly.They can‘t substitute for a smartphone - or only very poorly. When I‘m out to meet someone or run errands, I‘m not going to lug around a laptop computer to text people, send/receive a picture or find a public transit connection - or even just a place on the maps. Paper maps aren’t really sold in stores anymore - they‘ve been replaced by digital maps on smartphones.
...and your stubborn insistence that cell phones/smartphones aren't required doesn't help.
There's not much real-world "back and forth" on that question.
The question if people think one "needs" a smartphone has been answered by the sheer numbers:
👉 „The vast majority of Americans – 97% – now own a cellphone of some kind. Nine-in-ten own a smartphone“
I don‘t know any people below the age of, say 70, that would dispute the fact one „needs a smartphone“ in today’s modern society. Smartphones have become as ubiquitous as cars - probably more so in Europe than the U.S. - and about as „needed“ or useful.
Though there are certainly many that would agree we don't need to stare on our phones nearly as much we do everyday.
The only people (like you) and instances I have come across of people disputing the need for a smartphone on Apple-focused internet forms such as MacRumors are when it's in the context of justifying Apple's App Store terms and conditions and Apple's right to set them "as they please" (Which you can have differing opinions on - and the both of us clearly have )
It’s a life planning problem if your life will stop because you lose control of your smartphone. Not that it’s a pleasant experience.