That anecdote sounds like a problem with discipline and ethics, not with technology.

You can put a candy bowl in front of kids and tell them not to touch it. Or you can just not put it there. Ultimately kids will be less distracted when you remove the source of distractions. Phone bans in schools are showing this already.

blaming discipline is how we got here. these devices are engineered by teams of psychologists to maximize engagement. expecting a 12 year old to resist what grown adults with PhDs can't is just setting kids up to fail. removing the distraction source is the rational move.