What she observed is what we continually see everyday. It was people looking and/or listening to their phone and/or electronic devices. She said that it was scary because women and young people continually looked at their screens and had ear phones in their ears (I call ear phones "ear plugs"), never looking up to notice their environments. 
You might wonder why my friend was concerned about these people?
One of the first lines of defense is environmental awareness---Look at the pictures on this post. Are the people in the pictures aware of their environment? Are they aware of the people around them and what those people are doing? I'd have to say no.
Two of your most powerful tools in keep yourself and family safe are; 1) your eyes and 2) your ears
---it's ok to text and enjoy your electronic devices, but there is a place and time to do that-----it's when you can be fully aware of your environment having full confidence in your safety. Pictures:
http://blog.jammer-store.com/2012/06/texting-while-walking-would-you-like-it-to-become-illegal/
http://www.technobuffalo.com/2012/05/14/new-jersey-town-begins-fining-pedestrians-for-texting-while-walking/
http://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2013/01/26/love-food-love-art-route-yourself-through-chicago-ohare/
