Why Parents Pay $19,000 for Phone-Free Summer Camps

Camp directors see the effects immediately. Andy Hicks, a director at Greenwood Trails in Connecticut, said kids struggle with in-person interactions during the first meal. “Everybody kind of uses their phone as a safety blanket. You don’t have that at camp,” Hicks said. This year, he placed a deck of cards with icebreaker questions on every table to ease the awkwardness.

Wendy Siegel, owner of Tyler Hill Camp in Pennsylvania, said the kids have trouble falling asleep. She attributes it to the bedtime scrolling ritual many have at home. The adjustment can be hard, but it pays off. Emma said conflicts at camp are resolved face-to-face, unlike at home where arguments unfold over Snapchat and text messages. “You actually talk to them. You can’t just avoid it,” she said.

Even after weeks without phones, campers remain conscious of their online image. Hicks recalled a group of 13-year-old girls who asked him to delete a side-by-side photo of them from six years ago because they found it embarrassing. “They wanted it taken down because they found it was embarrassing,” Hicks said. “We thought it was the cutest thing ever, but they’re very conscious of how they’re perceived by others immediately.”

When Emma returned home, she immediately asked for her phone. She jumped back into FaceTime and scoured TikTok for trends she missed. Still, she said she looks forward to next year’s tech-free camp. “It’s not like camp if you have your phone,” she said. “Everyone would just be on their phones the whole time.”