Over the years I have had plenty of articles of how cell phones affect our socialization But now we have new proof that phones reduce memory. Oh sure who memorizes a phone number any more or an address. But, phones reduce memory by reducing "being in the moment". Instead we are all worried how the selfie might look. Yes, Facebook, Snapchat &  Instagram may archive your memories but in the short run they wont help you remember them.

In a 2017 study, students at Fairfield University in Connecticut were told to take photos of objects at a museum — and, surprisingly, they remembered fewer of the overall objects they had photographed.

“When you take a photo of something, you’re counting on the camera to remember for you,” said the research professor, Linda Henkel. “You’re basically saying, ‘Okay, I don’t need to think about this any further. The camera’s captured the experience.’ You don’t engage in any of the corroborative or emotional kinds of processing that really would help you remember those experiences, because you’ve outsourced it to your camera.”

If you sent your child to camp before,  you know when  your kids come home they are filled with wonderful stories that they wish to share. Sometimes these stories are shared over and over. Why? Partially due to the fact at camp our kids are experiencing life and not looking through the viewfinder to capture each moment so , they truly process it.

So be sure to help your child live in the moment by sending them off to an Overnight Summer Camp where phones are out of the picture.