Eyes up, phones down: Safer summers around the water

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As a career lifeguard and aquatics director, I’ve seen it: That parent at the pool who thinks I’ll just answer this text while the kids splash a few feet away. It seems harmless, a 15‑second scroll, maybe a quick photo posted to the group chat. But every time they reach for their phone, they’re gambling with the most precious thing in their life: their children’s safety.

Here’s the reality that still jolts me: 88 percent of child drownings happen with at least one adult close by. We assume we’ll hear distress because Hollywood tells us drowning looks dramatic—thrashing arms, panicked screams. In truth, it’s silent and can unfold in under 30 seconds. If I’m staring at a screen, those seconds slip away unnoticed.

That’s why YMCAs around the country have created the Phones Down, Eyes Up water‑safety campaign. The pledge is simple: When kids are in or near water, the phone goes away.

Signing the pledge at PhonesDownEyesUp.org takes less than a minute. In return, you will get practical tools – a lock‑screen reminder, monthly safety tips, and a bright “Water Watcher” lanyard that shouts I’m on duty. It’s a small commitment with life‑saving potential.

At the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, families designate one adult as the Water Watcher – no phones, no books, no small talk, no alcohol. Your only job is scanning the water. You can trade the lanyard when someone else takes over, so there’s never a lapse in vigilance. It feels official, and that matters; when a role is named, people take it seriously.

During May, the Y is also offering FREE Safety Around Water classes at the Jim & Heather Gills and Speer YMCAs. Over four days, kids aged 3 – 12 learn:

• “Jump, Push, Turn, Grab”—what to do if they fall in
• “Swim, Float, Swim”—a strategy to rest and reach safety
• How to help someone else without endangering themselves

Watching children master “Swim, Float, Swim” is eye‑opening; it gives everyone confidence, but also underscores how fast an accident can escalate.

Be All‑In

Water covers 71 percent of our planet, so avoidance isn’t an option. Instead,  equip your kids – and yourself – with water smarts. By pledging to keep your phone put away, you are modeling the focus you expect from them when it’s their turn to be responsible.

This summer, join parents everywhere. Visit PhonesDownEyesUp.org, sign the pledge, and pick up your Water Watcher lanyard. Trade a few minutes of screen time for a lifetime of memories- safely made, eyes on the water, phones out of sight.

Christina Bravi is Aquatics Director at the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA.