Clocked in and scrolling is still taking money for work you didn’t do.

Being paid by the hour means the hour is what you sold. Quiet stretches are part of what you agreed to be present for, so time on your phone is not spare time that happens to be yours, it is time somebody is paying for twice. Nobody makes a scene about five minutes, which is precisely how it becomes a habit.

Find the job that always needs doing in the slow hour: restocking, wiping down, the task everyone leaves for whoever closes. Do that and let your phone wait for your break. You also become the first name your manager thinks of when hours get handed out.