Camp Counsel: Keeping Your Child's Summer Camp Experience Safe in the Digital Age

Hemu Nigam offers parents tips for making summer camp safe from abuse.

ByABC News
June 3, 2011, 11:11 AM

June 21, 2011 -- Here's a hypothetical story. Johnny, a shy local boy of about 12, attended a sleep-away camp. His counselor helped Johnny make friends with the other kids, who seemed intimidating to Johnny. Johnny was proud to gain confidence, and his parents were grateful to the counselor for helping Johnny grow.

This would be a great story if it weren't for the fact that after Johnny got back from camp, he started to disengage from his family. He spoke less at the table and was constantly on his laptop or smartphone. After several weeks, the shy, sad kid returned, and no one could get through to him. He even ignored his favorite teachers and the baseball coach he used to admire.