In today’s world, our children are growing up in a digital landscape that is more immersive than ever. For our teenagers, it’s the constant pull of the smartphone. For younger children, it’s often the addictive loop of an iPad or gaming console. As a parent, you know the digital noise that follows our children everywhere.
As the Director of Birchmont, I see our screen-free policy not as a restriction, but as a profound gift to both campers and staff. It is perhaps the most significant feature we offer. When we remove the devices, we create space for something much more valuable: Presence.
In my leadership role within the American Camp Association, we frequently discuss the “Digital Detox” that camp provides and the research which backs this up. As Vice President of the New York State Camp Directors Association, legislators in Albany recently asked us what we thought about the state’s proposed smartphone ban in schools. Our reaction was, “How did it take this long?”
To camp professionals, the decision to keep phones and digital devices out of our programs always seemed obvious. We are glad that the research is beginning to catch up. We have always known that the greatest growth happens when a child’s primary interface is other human beings, not a piece of electronic equipment.
Here is why the “unplugged” summer at Birchmont is the ultimate setting for your child’s growth and development.
1. Reversing the “Phone-Based Childhood”
In his recent work, The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt discusses the shift from a “play-based” childhood to a “phone-based” childhood, noting the rise in anxiety as children spend more time in virtual spaces and less time in the physical world. At Birchmont, we intentionally reverse this trend.
By trading the iPad for a paddle and the phone for a campfire, we return children to a play-based environment. This isn’t just about fun; it’s about brain health. When children engage in real-world play, they develop the executive function and social resilience that simply cannot be simulated on a screen.
2. From Emojis to Eye Contact
Social-emotional learning is at the heart of the Birchmont experience which is embodied by our first core value: Community. When a camper is in a bunk, they have to navigate the nuances of a cabinmate’s mood, the humor of a counselor, and the dynamics of a group in real-time.
In a digital world, you can mute a difficult conversation or hide behind an avatar. At Birchmont, our campers learn to read body language, practice active listening, and resolve conflicts face-to-face. These are the skills that stay with a child forever, and they are built on our ballfields and under our pine trees.
3. Breaking the High-Dopamine Loop
For children, the constant drip of dopamine from a tablet or a video game can make the real world feel slow or uninteresting. A Digital Detox allows their nervous systems to recalibrate.
Instead of looking for the next digital ping, they start to find joy in the shimmer of the lake or the cool New Hampshire breeze. One of my favorite things to do is lead campers on a short “silent hike,” asking them to listen to the sounds of the woods around them. It’s amazing how much they hear that they have never noticed before. The curiosity of what certain sounds are leads to a whole new phase of discovery.
Shifting from high-dopamine digital loops to the slow-burn satisfaction of mastering a new skill, like sailing or woodworking, builds a level of focus and mental clarity that is becoming increasingly rare and more valuable in our modern world.
4. The Power of Authenticity
The pressure to perform for a camera or curate a perfect digital life is exhausting for teens. When everyone is unplugged, that pressure disappears.
This allows our campers to be their most authentic selves. They can be silly, they can try a new sport without fear of a fail video being shared, and they can live entirely in the moment. This always hits home at the first DJ social where kids are a bit reticent to dance at first. But by the end of the summer, they are letting loose and living by the adage “dance like no one is watching” because no one is! At Birchmont, the only status updates that matter are the ones you share in a letter home or with your group around the campfire.
The Director’s Perspective
We are only a few days into the summer, but Kristie and I are already seeing that transformation happen. The habit of reaching into a pocket to pull out a phone that isn’t there is already disappearing just three days into camp. Very quickly, our campers and staff are becoming so deeply immersed in our community and all there is to do that they forget what they might be missing on their iPad or phone.
A screen-free summer isn’t about being old-fashioned; it is about helping our kids prepare for the challenging environment of our modern world where distractions are everywhere. By giving your child a few weeks to live an analog life, you are helping them build the resilience, social intelligence, and mental focus they need to lead in the real world.
Yours in Camping,
Will Pierce
Owner/Director, Pierce Camp Birchmont
