A parent who was scrolling on their phone at a Maine beach allowed their child to wander off unsupervised, prompting a stern warning from authorities. 

At Mother's Beach in the coastal town of Kennebunkport on Monday, a child briefly went missing while their caregiver was distracted by their phone, according to an announcement from Kennebunk Fire-Rescue posted on Facebook. 

The fire department, which did not name the caregiver and child or specify their genders, said that the child was reunited with their parent after authorities located the youngster in 'a completely different beach area.' 

Kennebunk Fire-Rescue said the incident was 'very preventable... and an important reminder for everyone responsible for children around the water.' 

What happened when the child was returned to their parent clearly frustrated authorities.

'After the child was safely reunited with the caregiver, our personnel observed the caregiver immediately return their attention to their phone,' Kennebunk Fire-Rescue said. 

'A stern warning was given regarding the seriousness of what had occurred and the caregiver’s responsibility to actively supervise the child,' the department added. 

The department took the opportunity to share a reminder with parents: 'Phones down. Eyes up. Know where your children are at all times.' 

Kennebunk Fire-Rescue explained that 'situations like this are extremely unfair to our Ocean Guards.' 

Authorities on the beach already have myriad responsibilities, including scanning large areas of water to identify swimmers in distress, recognizing changing surf conditions, providing emergency medical care and responding to life-threatening emergencies, the department said. 

Looking out for children on the beach falls under the responsibility of their parents, Kennebunk Fire-Rescue emphasized. 

Failing that responsibility can distract ocean guards and divert them from their important life-saving duties, the department noted. 

'Our guards are there to protect everyone using our beaches - they are not babysitters and cannot replace parental or caregiver supervision,' Kennebunk Fire-Rescue said.

'Lifeguards provide an incredibly important layer of protection, but their presence does not transfer the responsibility for supervising a child from the caregiver to the lifeguard,' the department warned. 

The announcement also emphasized that drownings can develop rapidly and without obvious audible or visual cues such as splashing or shouting, so lifeguards being distracted even briefly can be highly dangerous. 

Kennebunk Fire-Rescue concluded its announcement with a poignant warning about leaving children unsupervised on the beach. 

'A few seconds of distraction near the water can have lifelong consequences,' the department said. 

Several people thanked Kennebunk Fire-Rescue for its announcement in the comments of the Facebook post and expressed disdain at parents getting distracted by their phones. 

'Thank you for an important reminder and in depth information,' one user wrote. 

'Very well said, I do believe we should push for beaches being cell phone zone free,' said another. 

'Why go to the beach and stare at your phone? I put my phone in my beach bag, I only check it when I want to see the time or get a picture,' a third chimed in.