Maybe the devs and all of the people they know in RL have an unhealthy addiction/obsession with their phones to the point of having a panic attack if it's not attached to them at all times and they can't imagine people who aren't the same and that's why all the sims are obsessed with it because to them that's "normal".
This is just one more example of how this is not the "Player's Game" and instead it's the dev's game. Player's choices in how they want to tell their story always revolves around if the devs feel like that's a viable way to play.
How can you play a "Rags to Riches" type game play or homeless person down on their luck? You can't because the devs think everybody MUST have a cell phone.
For most people a cell phone is luxury. And if it came down to buying food and paying for shelter to keep you out of dangerous elements or paying a cell phone bill each month, I can guarantee the cell phone would be shut off because that is not a necessity to sustain life, where shelter and food are.