Isn't that just making the best of a bad situation? I am guilty myself, but at the same time I forget that I even have a device when not subject to such drudgery. Addiction usually implies a greater compulsion.
Which, too, explains why this ban is only targeted at schools and not in general like drugs. While there are some skillful teachers, most aren't worth your time. As such, the phones come out as a distraction. In my pre-smartphone youth we were doodling in our notebooks, or what have you, instead, but the motivation was the same.
And the best thing you can do is model the behavior of putting your phone away and out of sight for things like meals and family time.
I'm not saying that addicted people should just be thrown aside. At the same time, since addiction implies an altered mental state like insanity, addicted people are clearly a burden to society that can't be reasoned with. In general, people have their circumstances that lead them to do what they do, but addicted people may stay addicted even if their circumstances are somehow resolved. Addiction is a costly affair to individuals, their friends and families, and the state. We should try to rehabilitate addicted people and we should try to tackle the root causes (much easier spoken than done), but it's a lousy situation in the first place.
[0] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db428.htm#secti...
Most people know this, but many of those who seek out opiates are in a particularly lousy spot already where they don't care if it will ruin their life.
For other drugs that are used recreationally, the rate of addicts is comparable to that of alcohol users, if not lower.
[0] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db428.htm#fig4
How do you expect someone to stop binge eating if they have the kitchen full of prepackaged foods?
How resisting the temptation of using a phone AT SCHOOL, a place where most kids don't want to be, will be rewarded so they can learn the benefits of self control?
It makes no sense!
It is already hard for most kinds understand that school is good for them to make it more difficult already and force them ignore the temptation of the phone.
Really, most people who talk about exercising self control or improving it have never had to had self control in the firt place.
Gotta teach self-control.