“Even if the school were able to enforce their official no phone policy, am I not correct for not wanting to have my children surrounded by friends whose topic of discussion is total (and I mean by anyone here’s standards) shmutz? Is this what R’ Aron Leib was referring to as gaavah?”
Yes. He said that too. Watch it again.
Kids go off because they want to. They don’t go off because a kid in their class influenced them. A kid who isn’t looking to go off isn’t going to start because some kid in his class (even a friend) is rebellious. When a kid wants to go off they start looking for like-minded friends and they subsequently influence each other. You can blame the other kid when all the while it was your child’s choice.