Books are designed to be addictive. People said the same things about books as they say about screens nowadays. I think it's more important to understand the emotional hysteria people get themselves into
My favorite addiction epidemic was when apparently the "catch the ball on the string in the cup" took over parts of Europe to the point that people were ignoring their work.
One difference to consider: books require active participation on the part of the consumer. Whereas digital/screens can just happen to you whether you participate or not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup-and-ball