Nonetheless the comparison to smoking is downright silly. Smoking is notable for being one of the most lethal habits held by a large number of people, which offers few if any concrete benefits, persisting almost entirely because of the powerful addiction it engenders.

Paying attention to the news can be almost anything from pointlessly harmful, to entirely necessary. "The News" isn't just reading outrage coverage and politics, world events beyond the muttering of politicians and business leaders exists. There's also such a thing as curating and moderating your intake, as well as dealing with underlying issues. A lot of people who feel overwhelmed or made helpless by the problems in their lives take that energy and apply it to global problems instead, especially young people.

That's not the news being "toxic" like nicotine and smoke though, that the collision of emotional instability and reality.