I think the issue is that your average Duolingo user doesn't have an intrinsic reason for learning a language -- anecdotally it seems many are just trying to fill their time in a way that's marginally more productive than playing a mobile game or scrolling social media.
No, Duolingo is not "marginally more productive" than playing mobile games. It's way better. You're learning something useful, albeit very sloely, instead of wasting your time.
