This is a horrible image. It's like seeing a two-year-old with a bottle of soda. Just, no.
I think we're trained to look for convenience now and it's convenient to hand your kid a device. Plus the parents' brains are all warped by social media addiction - they can't stop.
My daughter has watched something on my phone or tablet a handful of times like when I had an important phone call to make or when we we'd been stuck in traffic for two hours. And I feel bad about that - I'm not perfect either.
Out of my group of friends who have children ranging from one to ten years old, my child is the only one who doesn't have her own tablet. It's crazy. I agree with everything you said. Exposing them to too much screen time will poison their brains.