People have lately been writing more and more about how app developers exploit some of the worst parts of human psychology to keep users in their ecosystems. This is especially true with those that provide free services, like Google and Facebook. Here's an example of one such article:
https://amp.businessinsider.com/how-app-developers-keep-us-addicted-to-our-smartphones-2018-1
Of course, one could argue that human psychology has always been exploited for personal gain. (There's a reason why everything is $9.99 instead of $10, TV shows have cliffhangers, and food restaurants have red and yellow logos.) But it seems lately companies have become much more aggressive, especially as they have a more direct line into our lives through the Internet, and even dipping into unhealthy territory (e.g. gambling and addiction techniques).
Because pretty much everyone has a phone that's always near us, has all of our information, and is always connected to the Internet, it is unquestionably a prime target for exploitation. The two-way communication of the Internet makes it even worse because they can get a really good glimpse into our individual lives to target us further.
Things like targeted emails, the use of our real life friends and family to target us, giving us incentive to log in / play / use a service daily, random push notifications that have the same weight as an important email... A lot of FOMO (fear of missing out) is triggered in our brains that keep us looking at our devices. And relevant to the comic, there's lots more psychology beyond FOMO that's trying to keep us always looking at our phones, too.
A person who says "eh, I'm not affected by this" or "You just need to be strong-willed" is missing the point entirely. Companies aggressively exploit our psychology because we are human, we are not infallible, and we operate in a certain way. While that person says they're not affected, companies are trying to figure out what will finally get to them. So while you mentioned that the comic isn't close to reality for most people (which I can't say if that's true or not), the comic is definitely a look at what app developers and phone manufacturers are aiming for, and that's the real worrisome part.
(Not that I'm saying that comic is a smart and thoughtful piece about how companies are exploiting us... It's very clearly a "darn kids and their darn phones" thing, haha.)