I've seen it firsthand

Seems pretty straightforward to me.
If I'm gonna be shit on for being unethical no matter what I do, (because that is no option to not consume under capitalism for most of us) I might as well be unethical in a way that brings me a little happiness.
This is also a lovely example of why it can be risky to damn with too broad a brush.
- If I piss my pants, I might as well shit my pants.
  
  To a certain extent, yes.
  I used to do a dirty job. I spent most days trying hard to minimize the amount of grime I got on my hands. Some days it got past the wrist, despite my best efforts, and at that point, I would just give up and dive in.
  
  More like, if my pants are being made by slave labor no matter what, might as well spend less on them. I don't shop at SHEIN, but if you tell someone there's no difference between shopping at a department store and SHEIN, they might as well save a few bucks by shopping at SHEIN. Admittedly, I don't know that there is a difference, and I only clothes shop where I do for practical reasons, not ethical ones. If I knew I could get the same quality for a quarter of the price and I had no reason to think it translated to worse working conditions, I would do so.

Agreed! Of course you can't just stop shopping for food or clothing. Yes, your phone was probably made by kids. But do you really have to order bullshit from TEMU? Will that actually improve your live? Do you have to order everything you need from Amazon or could you also find the same items for cheaper in a used store? If you want some fast food, does it have to be Mc D? Why not go to the independent burger place?
It might be impossible to completely avoid unethical consumption, but it isn't that hard or expensive to consume more ethical where you can.
- If you want some fast food, does it have to be Mc D? Why not go to the independent burger place?
  lil bit of devil's advocate, the options in my small town other than McDs are the restaurants and bars that are swarmed by yuppies from the big city near by driving up prices while they cosplay rural living or a dirty little cafe that's open for 5 hours a day because retirees are 100% of their business.
- Yes, your phone was probably made by kids.
  Get a Fairphone (when your current one dies).
  
  i really wish they'd start selling in the US.
  
  If Andoid isnt your thing or it doesn't align with your needs, at least try and buy used, refurbished, or repair it yourself if possible. Most common repairs (I.e.battery, speakers, charging port, sometimes screens) aren't actually all that difficult and have pretty detailed guides on iFixit. Iphones get tricky but if you can, use a local independant repair shop. If it's in your budget to buy a new phone, it's probably in your budget to repair you old one.

Everybody's broke, no one is immune to fomo, and It's expensive to be poor. Corporations are the one's aiming for the cheapest profits, they're who landed on slavery and pollution as a means to cheaper profit. This isn't a permission structure, it's just what's happening. Why have feelings toward your broke friend for getting some summer 'fits, instead of railing against the suppliers with the dangerous practices? Pshh.. outta here with that personal responsibility > corporate accountability, fuckin grifters get more protection than the grifted