Background/purpose: The prevalence of personal mobile phones in educational settings has significantly transformed the classroom environment, presenting a unique combination of opportunities and challenges for students' learning experiences. This study employs a survey design to effectively describe university students' perspectives on the opportunities and challenges associated with using phones during academic lectures. Materials/methods: Using a survey design, data were collected from a simple random sample of 67 undergraduate students at United Arab Emirates University. A survey, developed and validated for this study, was used to explore perceived opportunities and challenges. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data. Results: The results indicate that these students view mobile phones as valuable tools for enhancing personalized instruction, self-regulated learning, and task completion. However, they remain skeptical about the overall impact of mobile phones on their academic performance. Students identified several significant challenges, including distractions from social media notifications, peer pressure to use their phones, and an increasing dependence on mobile devices. While students acknowledge both the benefits and drawbacks of mobile phone usage, the findings highlight a tension between the advantages and the potential disruptions to focus and academic outcomes during lectures. Conclusion: The results provide valuable insights into the effects of mobile phone usage and offer implications for educators on managing digital distractions and promoting effective learning strategies in the digital age, fostering empathy and understanding of students' perspectives among educators.