I don't care if my players have their cell phones out at the D&D table.

There's just no way for me to engage 100% of my players for an entire 4-hour session. As long as you're ready on your turn, I don't see a problem.

It's game night, not a classroom!

I also think that the old argument "If your players have their phones out, then you aren't engaging enough" is a big load of bull poopoo placed on DMs—who already have too much on their plates—by bitter sprites and other tiny creatures.

The game has changed.

There are D&D player apps, discord servers for sharing images, and private chats so you don't have to write player notes on paper!

Let alone all that, some of us just paradoxically need a distraction in order to better focus on the game at hand.

People have strong feelings about this!

Look, there's a big difference between a player using their phone to stay comfortable and one who checks out completely for 3/4ths of a session. I've seen both, and in the latter case, the phone has never been the true problem.