I personally think that responsible smartphone use should be learned and practiced, rather than outright banning them.
I think this shows that adults are terribly addicted to their devices and think if they can’t stop using them, children won’t either. They certainly can’t teach how to use phones responsibly if they can’t do it themselves. Unfortunately for children the result is an outright ban.
Almost same experience here. In HS you could have your phone, but leave it on silence and not use it during class. In college you are more ‘free’ to use it whenever you want, but if you’re serious about your studies you leave it on your bag and pay attention.