Yeah this is a compromise for sure. I am not sure at all this is the correct approach.
One thing that I do notice when I look at native stuff on iOS, is that they like putting more space and lines between items, which helps a lot with fat fingers, eg (mail app does this kind of stuff):
They also tend “dim” the other parts of the UX while you are dealing with one of these things and slide it up from the bottom.
Not married to any particular solution here, but I do have constant issues with “topic controls” on mobile which I use a fair bit due to defer.