When 17-year-old Ronin Segrest started working at the Ocean Oasis water park and beach club in Wildwood, New Jersey, in the summer of 2025, he had long hoped to become a lifeguard. He just didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to put down his phone during those six- to seven-hour shifts. It was “an adjustment,” he says. “I was definitely thinking about who was texting me or what I was missing.” Morey’s Piers, owner and operator of the Ocean Oasis water park along with several other amusements on the Wildwood Boardwalk, has a strict no-call policy for its employees during the work day. And with that policy, it joins a growing list of teen employers (along with schools) taking a hard line against phone use. Half of teens ages 12 to 17 spend four hours or more in front of screens every day, according to the latest survey on the subject from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teens who spend more time in front of a screen outside of schoolwork are more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, among other negative effects, according to the CDC. “Teenagers need two different paradigms” to help them build barriers around phones, says New York-based psychotherapist Andrew Tepper, who leads retreats for many of his teen clients where he encourages them to stay away from their phones. They need spaces where they are not allowed to use their devices and spaces where they are free to use them and must self-regulate. “Both experiences are vital to adolescent brain development,” he says. While employers’ motivations for keeping kids away from phones may be safety, productivity, or skill development, it turns out that the benefits for teens may end up being much deeper. “You have a 16-year-old working on a multimillion-dollar team,” Denise. Beckson, vice president and chief administrative officer of Morey’s Piers, has worked at the company since she was 14 years old. “The first job I had here was at the water park,” he says, “and I cut out bracelets when people left the park for the day.” The company hires about 500 14- to 19-year-olds each summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day, he says. They have long had a phone ban on workers, who keep their devices in assigned lockers during their shifts. Ronin Segrest on duty at the Ocean Oasis water park and beach club. Courtesy of Morey’s Piers They do this for safety reasons. “You’ve got a 16-year-old working on a multimillion-dollar team,” he says, “tying people who are going 60 miles an hour upside down.” Lifeguards like Segrest also need to keep people safe on water slides and in pools, which they can’t do if they’re moving around. But the ban on phone use was also implemented for performance and skill development reasons. In their free time, those who work at pizza stands must automatically think, “I should refill all the toppings,” Beckson says. “I could be wiping down the counter. I could be smiling at guests passing by on the boardwalk.” “If I have the phone, any time there’s downtime, that’s what I do,” he says. “I’m not learning all the subsequent steps I can take to make you more valuable in the workplace.” “It allows us to focus on the task at hand.” The summer camp industry employs more than 1 million people each year, including numerous teenagers and young adults, according to a representative from the American Camp Association. Many campgrounds do not allow staff to use or carry phones while supervising campers. Children’s camp Red Arrow Camp, based in Woodruff, Wisconsin (and where the now-deceased “Saturday Night Live” star Chris Farley was a student), has always had a no-phone policy for campers. They implemented a phone ban for staff in 2021. This year they had 25 cabin counselors, including 18 and 19 year olds. Camp Red Arrow co-counselors Dawson Sennes (left) and Danny Sundt (right). Courtesy of Red Arrow Camp The camp’s three founding principles are unplug, discover and develop, says executive director Rich Pruszynski. The goal is to help campers be present, learn new activities, and develop skills like teamwork. The ban on calling counselors helps model that behavior, he says. But for young staff, that ban is also about “being present and connected,” he says. “It allows us to focus on the task at hand. We don’t have that thing in our pocket that rings or buzzes or buzzes and distracts us.” “Being on the phone all the time is not real dopamine.” Young employees are feeling the impact of having their phones taken away. It took Segrest about a month to get used to not having her phone, but after doing so, she noticed some discernible differences. Not having your phone allows you to sit with your thoughts, for example. “I solve problems that never happened,” he says. It has also made it easier to connect with people, clients or not. “The biggest thing it made me realize is that being on your phone all the time is not real dopamine,” he says. He found that talking to people makes him much happier than texting or scrolling. Dawson Sennes, 20, was a camper at Red Arrow Camp from 2018 to 2022 and began working as a cabin counselor at 19. He first experienced the phone ban when he was a teenage camper. “The lack of connection to the outside world was… certainly a shock,” he says. But you’ve long since gotten used to summers without your phone, and the benefits are visceral. “At camp, you experience a very wide spectrum of emotions,” Sennes says, “a lot of ups and downs.” Cabin monitors constantly manage the emotions of the children for whom they are responsible. At home and at school, it’s much easier to get distracted by a screen and ignore what you’re feeling, Sennes adds. “But when you’re here, you have to deal with your emotions. You have to sit with them.” At camp, he adds, “I definitely feel more alive.” Do you want to get ahead at work? Then you need to learn how to make effective small talk. In CNBC’s new online course, How to Talk to People at Work, expert instructors share practical strategies to help you use everyday conversations to gain visibility, build meaningful relationships, and accelerate your professional growth. Sign up today! Take control of your money with CNBC Select CNBC Select is editorially independent and may earn commission from affiliate partners through links.
