How much of the decrease in national crime is due to people choosing just to play on their phone instead of do crime?

None, and I can offer proof:
The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974) the crime was committed without cell phones, but in the 2009 remake with Denzel Washington they had cell phones and still chose to commit the crime.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) we have a political assassination without cell phones. But in the 2004 remake with Denzel Washington the cell phones do not stop the criminals from being criminals.
Man on Fire (1987) the crime is a kidnapping. Then in the 2004 remake (with Denzel) again we see the same kidnapping is still committed with cell phones.
You add cell phones and Denzel Washington to the situation, and seems like nothing much changes.
- I see you brought your receipts. Here's your return in full.
- The proof is in the pudding folks
- Perhaps Denzel Washington is canceling out the effect of the cellphones?
- Whatthefuck
- Well, I mean, Denzel IS handsome, so that's a positive change, no?
  edit: Alright, fine, showing my ignorance, we'd actually have to compare the relative handsomeness of Denzel, and the leads in the other three films before we could objectively say whether something changed, or not.
- Relevant Zach Star Himself
  6 min video, wear headphone or at least don't watch in public space.
- Fiction isn't proof, they fucking wrote it that way 😂
  
  Ask a ridiculous question, get a ridiculous answer

None.
Crime is primarily driven by poverty and other inequities when social supports are lost or dismantled. For the most part people turn to crime when they don't have other options available.
- Shouldn't we see an increase in crime given the hard economic times we've experienced for the past 15 years?
  
  There both tends to be a delay while the effects take hold and while pay for the general population is stagnant while prices rise, there hasn't been a corresponding rise in long term poverty.
  It is complicated, but things like the ACA reduced a lot of medical debt stress and low unemployment are working in the other direction from increased inequity. The states that decriminlized or even legalized weed had corresponding drops in crime as well.
  Side note: Some cities have had spikes in crime, because it is never a perfectly even change everywhere.
- You think poor people don't have phones in 2024? I venmo a homeless dude on the street.
  
  I think you replied to the wrong post, since I did not say that.
  
  They aren't referring to entertainment options

At least once. I was going to rob a bank the other day but decided to play on my phone.
- I have a bank robbery simulator which feels more real than the real thing. It's like when farmvill was a thing and I sold my garden. Hell, I wouldn't go by bus anywhere if there was a simulator for that, too.
  
  Payday2, totally get it. Wish they would finally make payday3 though.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2013/01/03/how-lead-caused-americas-violent-crime-epidemic/
lead in gasoline caused lead poisoning, leading to an increase in violent crime. now most fuel is unleaded, reducing the incidence of lead poisoning, and leading directly to a decrease in violent crime
- Condoms given out by Planned Parenthood in the 70s reduced crime in 90s.
  
  And Roe v. Wade increased access to abortion about the same time, together with the leaded gas.
- Yep. What's more, this effect is even seen in countries that had less lead poisoning to begin with, like Sweden. Average blood lead levels in Sweden were below the level that the US government even considered concerning at the time — but they still got a ~5% decrease in crime by phasing out leaded gasoline.
  Lead makes people stupid & impulsive; and stupid & impulsive people do more crime.
  https://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.207429.1413788630!/menu/standard/file/WP14no9.pdf
- So the FAA needs to hurry their hinds in phasing out leaded avgas, which is still used today in piston engine aircraft (small planes)

You think people do crime because they're bored? It usually because they need to survive or provide for their families in a capitalist dystopia, because they are discriminated or because they lack appropriate physical mental health supports. Often, the three a the same time.
- This is a good point, but school shootings. School shootings are a type of terrorist attack that accomplishes nothing except killing innocent children. This is why they won't do anything about it. Conservative values are more important to conservatives than protecting children. If terrorists ever decide to start attacking corporations or government installations, guns are getting banned 5 seconds later even if both the senate and house are loaded with Republicans.
  The Republicans will flip on gun control eventually. Kind of surprised Jan 6 didn't get things rolling tbh.
  
  To be fair there was a mass shooting at YouTube HQ
- I'd do a crime out of boredom.

Somewhat related, there's a notable decrease in gang violence un Mexico whenever a new Dragon Ball movie gets released
- Wasn't that just a myth?
  
  Nah, they launched an expedition there in '04 and found out that Mexico is, in fact, a real place

A lot less than the reduction in brain damaged individuals thanks to unleaded gasoline and lead remediation in homes and schools.

Male sedation hypothesis might have a part in it as well.
The "Male Sedation Hypothesis" proposes that digital stimuli like video games, pornography, and social media are sedating young men, reducing their tendencies for status-seeking and reproductive behaviors, which historically might have led to instability in societies. theorizes that these digital interactions provide men with titrated doses of what would traditionally drive their social and reproductive pursuits. For example, men receive reproductive cues from pornography and camaraderie or status in video games, leading to reduced real-world interaction and aggression. This is potentially creating a less volatile but more socially detached male population. Williamson perceives this as a mixed blessing; while it prevents disruptive behaviors, it may render these young men less effective in real-world situations that demand assertiveness or direct action
So the gist of it is basically that in prior times like this, the discredited young men have taken it to the streets, assembling in groups of other similar men and start causing trouble by breaking windows and kicking grannies. However, we're not seeing this now despite the record numbers of such men and one hypothesis for why this is, is that those men are instead withdrawing from the society into their mom's basements and spending their time playing games, watching porn and smoking weed.
- This seems like a tough hypothesis to test, but I actually believe there's some substance to it

~~Religion~~ doom scrolling is truly the opiate of the masses.

Play GTA on my phone rather than in the street? Hell ya!
- I am a veteran who fought in the Call of Duty Modern Warfares.

No, it is based more on the weather.