Actual, undeniable issues? Sure! However, and you may have heard this before, a tool is just a tool. Technology is neither good nor bad--it depends entirely upon how you use it.

Demonstrably inferior? This is simply and objectively untrue. They are not inferior in any ways whatsoever. How healthy they are, for the user, is not the only metric to consider. There is also the productivity side.

They make phone calls, they make texts, and then on top of the basics, you have access to much of mankind's collective knowledge catalogued at your fingertips. Whether or not that knowledge is actually correct is a judgment call. Whether or not you use your phone for video games, YouTube shorts, TikTok, and porn, is up to the individual user, and is indicative of the lifestyle that they choose to live. It has nothing to do with the tool that was put in their hands, and much more to do with the morality of the companies that serve the content that provides them gratification--and the ability of the individual to resist temptation.

As for tracking, if you are reasonably educated about the technology that you use on a daily basis, it is easy to circumvent the tracking and spying that happens. An example of this would be Calyx OS. Yes, you'll be putting in more maintenance, but do you do your own car repairs? Maybe it's time to advocate for ourselves and make an industry of privacy conscious smartphones.

Addendum: As for mobile UI, yes, it sucks, and companies keep hiring terrible developers that use the wrong tools for the job. That's what happens when you're mostly focused on your bottom line and don't want to pay for the skill that is actually required to make decent software.