We just got a watch for our rising 4th grader. It's a game changer. She can have more flexibility and more autonomy while I can still know where she is. It's a win win.

At camp it lets me let her know if I'm running late or if she's going home with her friend or what have you...

Sorry but if this is a hill that OP wants to die on then good luck finding a day camp with no watches. She should make other plans for her child during the summer.

We are fairly strict with screens at home, no gaming system, etc… but our DS has a watch to coordinate pick ups, etc…. DH routinely texts him that he is here and to come out or ETA. Sometimes he is done earlier and texts to come so DH can pick up earlier if desired.

The watch is a fantastic medium for talk, text, location, and such logistics, etc…for older kids.

Sleepaway no watches which we support. No need for logistical coordination if at camp 24/7 at same location and with counselors. Totally different than day camp.

^ I mean smart watches

We don't do watches until middle school (and then phones around 14 depending on child's maturity) and I think all this constant connectedness is so silly and anxiety-provoking, and especially ridiculous at summer camp. That said, I would just ask DC if they like camp and want to return next year. They may not even notice or care about the phone thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s Apple Watch can’t receive, take ir send photos. That concern isn’t real.

There was an issue in dc's elementary last year with kids making voice memos of other kids on their Apple Watches. The school shut it down by not allowing any smart watches on wrists, they had to be kept in their backpacks.

So an entire school was capable of enforcing this rule? Were the parents supportive?

Perhaps the problem with enforcement of such a rule at a summer camp is the parents who feel their child MUST have a smart watch for the family to function. And the fact that a camp has a no-devices policy just doesn’t apply to them.

Not PP but our school also has a strict no watch/no phone policy in the lower school. My kids aren't in middle yet so I'm not sure of the rules there, but they are not allowed to wear watches or take them or phones out of their backpacks during the day. It is absolutely enforced.

Anonymous wrote:I would check with the camp and point out the discrepancy between the policy and the practice. I would also observe if kids are wearing watches at drop off and pick up. Then you can decide if you want to return next year, based on the above.

It doesn’t really matter whether people here think a smart watch ban is good/bad. What do you want as a parent? Is the camp delivering what they promised?

My kid is at a six week sleep away camp. No devices, incl smart watches, allowed. Rigorously enforced. Parents are all in.

Could be harder to find a day camp with this policy and have it be enforced.

The sleepaway camp our girls attend is also device-free and strictly enforced but they just aren't allowed to have them, period. Day camp is a lot harder.

I'll say though, OP, that I've never thought about or heard of a device policy for a day camp (I do care for sleepaway camp so I looked). I'm not sure you'll find a camp that is stricter/better at enforcing the policy so if you like this camp, to me, this wouldn't be a deal breaker. But you're obviously entitled to your own opinion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Day camp or sleepaway?

At day camp, not a concern especially as it gives parents a way to coordinate with kids and could be in school mode during the day

Day camp and why wouldn't it be a concern? Do you think it should be up to the camp to policy the mode that all these watches are in?

NP here. I would have privacy concerns in a sleepaway camp where someone could be photographed sleeping and showering. I have zero concerns about day camp because those things are not happening and there is near constant supervision.

The kids change out of their bathing suits 2x a day.

So you think the kids also have phones because they are wearing watches?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what is your concern?

Everything from as innocent as it being a distraction ranging all the way to violation of my DC's privacy.

Watches can't take pictures?

Some may be used for steps or something and aren't actually all that smart. Are you sure they're Apple watches?

Just send your kid without a smart watch.

Kids sneak phones or screens at most camps. They’re still screen free a lot more than they are at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s Apple Watch can’t receive, take ir send photos. That concern isn’t real.

There was an issue in dc's elementary last year with kids making voice memos of other kids on their Apple Watches. The school shut it down by not allowing any smart watches on wrists, they had to be kept in their backpacks.

So an entire school was capable of enforcing this rule? Were the parents supportive?

Perhaps the problem with enforcement of such a rule at a summer camp is the parents who feel their child MUST have a smart watch for the family to function. And the fact that a camp has a no-devices policy just doesn’t apply to them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would check with the camp and point out the discrepancy between the policy and the practice. I would also observe if kids are wearing watches at drop off and pick up. Then you can decide if you want to return next year, based on the above.

It doesn’t really matter whether people here think a smart watch ban is good/bad. What do you want as a parent? Is the camp delivering what they promised?

My kid is at a six week sleep away camp. No devices, incl smart watches, allowed. Rigorously enforced. Parents are all in.

Could be harder to find a day camp with this policy and have it be enforced.

OP is not going to find any day camp that will not have watches. That is the reality. Kids could be in school mode during the day and then call if they get out early, for pick up, etc…. which is not unreasonable.

The camp is not able to enforce checking all kids watches. They just are not.

Sleepaway camp is a different animal. My DS goes to a 2 week and very strict with absolutely no screens. Enforced also and parents supported.

This, exactly. For day camp, watches are extremely useful.

How are they useful exactly?

My kid had 7 friends at her last day camp in another town and that resulted in a fairly complicated carpool arrangement with families trading off driving. She'd text when she had an ETA (depending on the order of drop off). It was helpful because we had summer swim in the evening and needed to know when she'd be home given other evening carpools with siblings and sibling friends.

You could have spoken to the other mom about that. You all would have figured it out.

It wasn't always a mom, but often a dad, babysitter or au pair. They had enough on their hands to be driving a car full of kids in rush hour traffic without also texting me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would check with the camp and point out the discrepancy between the policy and the practice. I would also observe if kids are wearing watches at drop off and pick up. Then you can decide if you want to return next year, based on the above.

It doesn’t really matter whether people here think a smart watch ban is good/bad. What do you want as a parent? Is the camp delivering what they promised?

My kid is at a six week sleep away camp. No devices, incl smart watches, allowed. Rigorously enforced. Parents are all in.

Could be harder to find a day camp with this policy and have it be enforced.

OP is not going to find any day camp that will not have watches. That is the reality. Kids could be in school mode during the day and then call if they get out early, for pick up, etc…. which is not unreasonable.

The camp is not able to enforce checking all kids watches. They just are not.

Sleepaway camp is a different animal. My DS goes to a 2 week and very strict with absolutely no screens. Enforced also and parents supported.

This, exactly. For day camp, watches are extremely useful.

How are they useful exactly?

My kid had 7 friends at her last day camp in another town and that resulted in a fairly complicated carpool arrangement with families trading off driving. She'd text when she had an ETA (depending on the order of drop off). It was helpful because we had summer swim in the evening and needed to know when she'd be home given other evening carpools with siblings and sibling friends.

She also had summer swim in the morning before camp and I texted her a few times when afternoon carpool plans changed because of work obligations and parents swapping.

She didn't NEED that information. Jane's mom could tell Suzy, I am picking you up today and Suzy goes with Jane's mom instead of Mary's mom. See how that works?

The carpools ended up really complicated with 14 parents, 2 babysitters and 2 au pairs involved. There were often 2-3 cars going to different destinations. So yeah, it was really helpful for her to know what car she was supposed to be in. I probably had 100 texts a day over these stupid logistics, so it was absolutely possible for someone to be confused or miss a text.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would check with the camp and point out the discrepancy between the policy and the practice. I would also observe if kids are wearing watches at drop off and pick up. Then you can decide if you want to return next year, based on the above.

It doesn’t really matter whether people here think a smart watch ban is good/bad. What do you want as a parent? Is the camp delivering what they promised?

My kid is at a six week sleep away camp. No devices, incl smart watches, allowed. Rigorously enforced. Parents are all in.

Could be harder to find a day camp with this policy and have it be enforced.

OP is not going to find any day camp that will not have watches. That is the reality. Kids could be in school mode during the day and then call if they get out early, for pick up, etc…. which is not unreasonable.

The camp is not able to enforce checking all kids watches. They just are not.

Sleepaway camp is a different animal. My DS goes to a 2 week and very strict with absolutely no screens. Enforced also and parents supported.

This, exactly. For day camp, watches are extremely useful.

How are they useful exactly?

My kid had 7 friends at her last day camp in another town and that resulted in a fairly complicated carpool arrangement with families trading off driving. She'd text when she had an ETA (depending on the order of drop off). It was helpful because we had summer swim in the evening and needed to know when she'd be home given other evening carpools with siblings and sibling friends.

You could have spoken to the other mom about that. You all would have figured it out.