Disconnect to Reconnect

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Supporting Your Child’s Digital Detox Journey

As summer approaches and excitement builds for the adventures ahead, we want to talk about the gift of unplugging.

Today’s children are growing up in a digital world that’s more connected and more demanding than ever before. Children spend, on average, over 7 hours a day in front of a screen. The impact? Rising anxiety, disrupted sleep, reduced attention spans, and fewer opportunities to play, create, and connect in real life.

Walden remains proud of its screen-free policies. 

How do we do it?  

Well we don’t… You do!  

You do this by ensuring that campers leave their tech at home.

And you do this by working hard all year so that you can provide the gift of camp to your children.  

This collective action puts Walden in a position where we can create programs for kids that are more attractive to them than anything a screen has to offer.

We trade scrolling for splashing… likes for laughter… and pings for pine trees. 

Campers don’t beg staff for their phones, they quickly engage in the spirit of camp.

This time away from tech is endangered and to be preserved.  

Only then can we fully experience the joy of hands-on play, deep friendships, and the simple magic of being present.

But quitting “cold turkey” is not easy for everyone.  

We know that for many kids, especially teens, a sudden shift away from screens can feel overwhelming. But there are gentle, thoughtful ways to ease the transition before they arrive at camp:

  1. Create screen-free zones at home: Try making mealtimes, car rides, or bedtime tech-free to model mindful digital habits.
  2. Build in screen-free activities: Encourage reading, journaling, crafting, or outdoor time without a device nearby.
  3. Start a digital countdown: Gradually reduce screen time over the weeks leading up to camp. Small changes now can make a big difference later.
  4. Talk about the why: Let your child know this isn’t about punishment. It’s about making space for new connections, creativity, and rest.
  5. Practice being present: Plan some simple tech-free time together as a family. Even just an hour makes an impact.
  6. Put on a long movie!: If everything here just seems too out of reach, try to fight screens with screens!  Watch Jonathan Haidt to learn more.

In the absence of a collective action, this may be harder for parents than it is for us at camp.  Having said that, any effort to detox digitally at home can help make the transition into camp more seamless for your campers. 

For more information, please visit our Electronics Policy: www.campwalden.ca/guidebook/camp-policies/

Time and time again, we experience the following phenomenon: When campers come home from camp, they don’t run to their phones… they thank their parents for the gift of time in a tech free world.

Warmly,
MASH Coordinators, Cassidy and Josh

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