Raising Resilient Kids in a Phone-Obsessed World: Our Commitment to a Screen-Free Camp

A few summers ago, I received a phone call from a parent shortly after his daughter returned home from her Wilderness Adventures trip.

He shared that she had a meaningful experience – made new friends, embraced the challenges of the outdoors, and came home with stories that felt transformative. But he also had a piece of advice he felt compelled to give, a suggestion he believed would improve our program.

“Tom,” he said, “you’ve got to allow phones. If you don’t, I’m afraid it’s going to hurt your business.”

He was kind and respectful, even complimentary of our mission. But he insisted we were fighting a losing battle. “The train has left the station,” he told me. In his eyes, the era of screen-free anything was over.

I asked him how his daughter’s experience might have been better if she’d had access to her phone. He didn’t hesitate. She had minor conflicts with tent-mates and wished she could’ve talked to her mom. She didn’t always like the food and wanted to text her parents about it. Long van rides with unfamiliar faces made her feel bored and uncomfortable. A phone, he argued, would have solved all of it – a quick call home, a few games, a bit of digital distraction.

When I gently suggested that maybe those moments of challenge were part of the point, that learning to navigate peer conflict, tolerate discomfort, and embrace boredom might actually be critical life skills, he pushed back.

“It was the hardest thing she’s ever done,” he said. “Being without her phone, and away from us. It was uncomfortable for everyone. And I know we’re not alone in feeling that. In the future, we’ll look for programs that allow phones. And Tom, if you don’t change your policy, I think it’ll be the end of Wilderness Adventures.”

That conversation happened four years ago.

We’re still here. We’re still thriving. And we’re more committed than ever to being a device-free program.

I’ve spoken and written before about the importance of being unplugged. But this year, I want to spotlight a book that every parent should read: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.

Reading it stirred two powerful emotions in me. First, a deep sense of affirmation. The camp director in me couldn’t highlight fast enough – yes! This is exactly why we do what we do. Why we prioritize nature, challenge, face-to-face connection, and the growth that happens when screens are out of the picture.

The second emotion? Fear. As a father of four, ages 9 to 17, The Anxious Generation was a sobering reminder of just how profoundly smartphones and social media are shaping – and often harming – this generation.

Haidt’s central message is simple and urgent: the rise of the “phone-based childhood” is directly linked to skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and disconnection in kids and teens. He calls for a cultural reset – more play, more independence, fewer screens.

He traces a shift that began around 2010, when smartphones and social media became omnipresent in kids’ lives. That same period saw the beginning of a sharp and sustained rise in mental health struggles, particularly among girls. Self-harm, anxiety, and suicidal ideation all surged.

“A phone-based childhood is not just different from the play-based childhood of earlier generations,” Haidt writes. “It’s worse in nearly every measurable way.”

At Wilderness Adventures, we’ve seen firsthand what happens when kids take a break from the noise. They grow. They reconnect – with each other, with the outdoors, and with themselves. They build resilience in the face of challenge. They get bored, and then they get creative. They talk. They laugh. They live in the moment.

When Haidt outlines solutions for reclaiming childhood, one of his top recommendations is this:

“Find a sleepaway camp with no devices and no safetyism. Many summer camps offer children and adolescents the chance to be out in nature and away from their devices and the internet for a month or two. Under those conditions, young people attend fully to each other, forming friendships and engaging in slightly risky and exciting outdoor activities that may bond them together tightly.”

We know some programs like ours have chosen to allow phones, often for marketing reasons. Their participants can post in real-time, tag the brand, and generate buzz. But as a dad – and as someone who’s spent decades working with kids – I just can’t get behind that.

When I visit airports to see our students arrive or depart, the contrast is always clear. Our Wilderness Adventures participants are chatting, playing cards, laughing. Right next to them, you’ll often find another group: twelve kids, twelve screens, twelve isolated realities.

That’s not the kind of summer experience I’d want for my kids – or yours.

So when people ask why we still don’t allow phones, the answer is simple:

Because we believe discomfort can lead to growth.
Because we believe that connection is deeper without distraction.
Because we care too much to give in.

Because kids deserve something real.