Time for new National policies on cell phone usage?

[FireStone]

Our council summer camp is notoriously strict about cell phones in camp. Scouts are forbidden from having them at all, any scouts who bring one to camp are supposed to have it confiscated by their troop leaders, and camp staff confiscate phones if they see scouts with them around camp. 

Adults are strongly discouraged from having phones in view of scouts. So much so that even taking pictures is frowned upon. 

Even smart watches (like the Apple watch) are prohibited for scouts and strongly discouraged for adults. 

Meanwhile, at Jambo phones are pretty much a necessity. Phones are actually encouraged there, plus there's an event app, and a lot of the activities utilize connected technology as part of the experience (scanning QR codes, pulling up information), as well as for taking pictures, accessing schedules and event info, and of course communicating both at the event with your troop and contacting parents back home. 

As more and more scouting materials go digital (like merit badge pamphlets), this all seems to frequently beg the question: 

Is it time for National to set new guidelines for cell phone usage that puts the decision entirely with the troop? 

Similar to how we have received better uniform and clothing guidelines from National, I think it's time we got some more clear and up-to-date guidance on phone policies and technology usage in general throughout the organization. Along with empowering troops who want to ease off the restrictive policies to do so at their own discretion, without camps being able to impose blanket bans and harsh restrictions for youth and adults. 

Even in troops that want to maintain a limit on phone usage, I think we could at least be a little more nuanced about how phone policies are applied. Blanket bans seem to miss an opportunity to encourage appropriate and helpful use of technology in scouting environments. And when those bans even apply to the adults, I think it's a significant overstep. 

It also seems ironic to me that we're rolling out MBs like AI and cybersecurity while at the same time telling scouts they can't even have a phone on a trip at all. 

Edited Friday at 05:53 PM by FireStone

[Tron]

I love where you want to go with this; trust me I do. My troop finally enacted a cell phone policy. I am no longer the A-hole dad telling his scouts to put the phones away or they get locked in the car while everyone else does wtf they want; however, I am not sure if this is a national level issue for a couple of reasons.

If national were to introduce a new policy, how would they enforce it? As an example, the new safeguarding youth (not the name, but the whole new process) program is mandated from the bankruptcy and settlement and national is absolutely impotent in the means of enforcing it at the council level let alone unit level. This is a legally enforceable mandate where everyone with a functioning brain agrees it is important and it still can't get enforced. 

We know that the entire country is a patchwork of (at sometimes) weird laws and judicial rulings. Does national want to weigh in and get forced to navigate all the various laws? For example in my state it is illegal for schools and other organizations to take cell phones away from youth who have medical conditions, educational need, or if they have an IEP at their school of enrollment that states they should have access to a cellular device due to their condition(s). The only reason why my troop has a cell phone policy is because the COR basically came in and said, agree to it or your family hits the bricks.