So an article talking about one specific factor talks about one specific factor. I'm not sure you really responded to my comment here. Quotes from the article.

Smartphones and social platforms existed long before the homicide spike; they are obviously not its singular cause.

When the pandemic led officials to close civic hubs such as schools, libraries and rec centers for more than a year, people — especially young people — ­were pushed even further into virtual space.

The current spike in violence isn’t a return to ’90s-era murder rates — ­it’s something else entirely. In many cities, the violence has been especially concentrated among the young

Yes this article focuses on violence in black communities and I have no doubt there's a bias at play there both on the authors part and a lot of the audience. But the actual point of the article isn't incorrect, though it wades into rap music as some building arguments it's pulling specific examples and making specific arguments about them. To engage with the article in a reasonable way you'd need to actually respond to those points.

The article isn't trying to scapegoat social media, I didn't get that impression at all and it seems king outrage manufacturing to be focusing on that interpretation.