Abstract
Cellular phone and other mobile device usage has become a ubiquitous aspect of childhood and adolescence, with recent studies reporting that by age 8, 23% of U.S. children have a cell phone (Mann et al., 2025). Yet, parents and caregivers express concerns regarding their child’s device usage, identifying time spent on social media, impact on mental health, and online content consumption as primary concerns (Mann et al., 2025). While summer camp might be viewed as “unplugged” time, camp providers navigate numerous decisions regarding cell phone access and use. Internet and cell service availability is often a deciding factor, as 22-35% of camps lack mobile communication infrastructure (Dehudy et al., 2021).
Recommended Citation
Megan Owens, PhD; Kelly Kaelin; Rylie Fasold; and Garst, Barry A.
(2026)
"Benchmarking Cell Phone Use Policies in U.S. Summer Camps,"
CompassPoint: Vol. 36:
No.
2, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34068/CP.36.02.08
Available at:
https://open.clemson.edu/compass_point/vol36/iss2/8
