Most of the time you'd be better off sitting in silence for 10 min rather than reading the latest news cycle or doomscrolling on social media.
Sometimes doing nothing is more productive than attempting to fill the gaps with meaningless noise
But doing nothing doesn't fulfill the required function, which is distraction from existential dread.
Watching TV does. People do a lot of that too. Anything to save observing things as they are or reflecting on them.
It is not a bad thing, just all about balance. If you are focused and consistently dedicate even little time to some activities you can achieve incredible results.