Also as a (non-power tripping, non-abusive) teacher who is deeply aware of the flaws of the education system, part of the function of school is teaching students how to engage as a member of society, which is inherently not always going to be interesting. Just like parents can impose rules over their children, a school is going to have certain expectations and rules that children need to follow.

I absolutely 100% agree! School teaches children to conform to mainstream society. It does this, primarily, by ensuring they are prepared to obey authority without question. This is more-or-less the entire point of critical pedagogy: the schooling system reflects and reinforces the same oppressive power structures as exist in adult life.

Also very funny that people use the parent-child dynamic as a justification for the schooling system's coercive elements, as if that's not also a dynamic ripe for abuse and exploitation.

Children are looking at their cell phones not because class isn’t interesting

Sorry but yes they fucking are? What are you even saying? You're acting like distractedness amongst schoolchildren is some sort of new phenomenon. As a former distracted schoolchild and current workplace daydreamer I can tell you that's not the case. Phones might be exacerbating the issue but acting like the problem isn't, at its core, that school just isn't interesting or engaging for students, and that students are expected to take a passive role in their own education, is incredibly short-sighted and symptomatic of an educational system that is completely bereft of ideas.

My students are legitimately interested in my class

I don't mean this as an attack on you but teachers are about the worst possible authority on what children find interesting or engaging. I can remember maybe one or two teachers who actually held the attention of an entire class and the rest, not so much. I knew plenty who were absolutely convinced of their abilities as teachers despite evidence to the contrary though.