There’s some incredible news to celebrate as a new school year kicks off.

Texas is one of more than two dozen states with a bell-to-bell phone rule. Phones are put away at the first bell, and only come back out at the end of the day.

I used to think camp had a competitive advantage here. Camps have long been screen-free, providing a unique place where kids will happily unplug from their devices.

Camp is still different (more on that below), but these bell-to-bell laws are so clearly the right thing for kids that we are thrilled schools are getting on board.

The real power of bell-to-bell phone bans?

Eight hours a day when we know students won’t be sucked into the infinite scroll.

The Scroll, Not the Phone

The phone and “screen time” often get lumped together, where everything we do on a device falls in the same bucket.

That’s an oversimplification.

Phones have so many uses: calls, directions, scheduling, maps, sharing a funny reel with a friend you already know.

Those things are important and useful.

The trap is the infinite scroll. The brain rot. The part where your attention gets pulled out of your body and into your device.

The part where we disappear into a black hole of attention.

And when we disappear, things like school, sports, sleepovers, and family dinners suffer.

Camp Displaces the Infinite Scroll

The infinite scroll works because it captures our attention and doesn’t let go.

That’s incredibly valuable to advertisers. The more attention a tech company can capture, the more advertising they can sell.

Camp is the one place where we can fully replace the tug of the digital world. It is so immersive that campers don’t need the distraction.

The real world adventure of camp (friendship, challenge, reflection, fun) holds campers’ attention in the same way a scroll does, but feeds their growth and well-being rather than separating them from it.

Schools are now creating similar spaces for academics. Bell-to-bell laws provide eight hours a day for students to be engaged in learning without disappearing into the infinite scroll.

The big advantage we have at camp is that it lasts for 2+ weeks at a time. That’s not just a break - it’s a full detox. It’s teaching kids that they have true power over their devices, not the other way around.

Power in Numbers

We’ve written before about how camp solves the collective action piece of phone use. At camp, nobody has one, so nobody feels like they need one.

I’m hearing from teachers and parents that this is happening at school, too. They’ve said things like “laughter is back in the hallways”. The lunchroom is the good kind of loud again.

School is about academics and cognitive growth. Camp is about fun and building durable skills. All important, and all done better without the insatiable tug of the infinite scroll.

I’m thrilled to watch schools move in this direction. More than half the country is on board, and soon it will be every state.

Which brings me to the main point, and it’s a simple one.

Kids need as much time as possible looking their friends in the eye across the lunch table (or the dining hall table), with nothing buzzing in their pockets.

It’s a renewed appreciation for the in-person parts of life. Friendship, challenge, reflection, learning, fun.

It’s a big step in the right direction.

Erec Sir