She’s got ASD, so she’s allowed to wear headphones for noise cancellation, so of course she’s taking advantage of that. I’m not sure what’s going on with the teachers not stopping her from looking at her phone all day though. I’m pretty sure they’ve just given up trying to stop her.
And yeah, phones suck. On the one hand, you have to have them, you’re a social pariah if you don’t. But they also basically demand your attention 24/7, and suck up your entire life. As far as I know, the kids haven’t encountered bullying or anything (although maybe they have), and they don’t seem to be looking at the more toxic parts of the internet (although maybe they are). It’s just… even normal everyday interactions with the phones are generally isolating and draining. Nobody does things anymore. They just watch.