I think there’s real merit to this idea — the placing of phones in a viewable basket. I have done that at dinner events in my home when I was a college president. The “within” sight approach is vastly better than these lock boxes that are used when a student enters the school building. Phones are literally confiscated and placed in what feels to me like a phone prison. Phones are not per se evil. It is when and how they are used that is invoked. And yes, the use of them may be distracting. There are lots of distractions in life and learning to concentrate notwithstanding them is a learned skill. So this compromise you proffer has real tangible benefits.