Fair enough. But Turkle is ignoring some real problems that Pokemon does address. According to the CDC, 74% of children ages 5-10 don't get enough exercise, and 80% of adults don't get enough exercise (Jaslow). Yet fitness tracker data shows that Pokemon players "were found to be walking 62.5 percent more than usual" (Baig).

Another real problem is that 14.8 million American adults are depressed and 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety (Anxiety and Depression Association of America). But believe it or not, Pokemon can help. Playing Pokemon improves peoples' moods, which in turn promotes social interaction. Plus, reward pathways and the hippocampus are stimulated during game play, both of which can atrophy with depression.
Professor Daniel Freeman from the department of psychiatry at Oxford University notes: “It [Pokémon Go] could be used to refocus your attention away from threat by getting you immersed in engaging activity, or it could be used to present the things you fear for long enough to help your anxiety naturally decline. Combine the right psychological science and augmented reality and you’ll have a really powerful treatment tool” (qtd. in Baig).
Boom. Mic drop.