child-time

Family screen time agreement — printable template

Updated:

Sit down together, fill in the blanks, sign it and put it on the fridge. Rules a child helped write are rules they follow. The template is free — print it or save it as a PDF.

Our family screen time agreement

Child
Date

1. How much time

On school days
On weekends and holidays

2. Screen-free times

☐ During meals   ☐ Before homework is done   ☐ The last hour before bed   ☐ In the bedroom at night

Screens off at (school nights / weekends)

3. What counts and what doesn't

Doesn't count toward the limit (schoolwork, video calls with family…)

4. How to earn extra time

Task
Extra minutes
Most extra time in one day

5. When time is up

I finish what I'm doing and turn it off without arguing. If I need more time for something important, I ask first — and accept the answer.

6. Parents promise

☐ To give a warning before time runs out   ☐ To answer requests for extra time quickly   ☐ To keep our own phones away at meals   ☐ To review this agreement together on:

Signatures

Child
Parent(s)

How to use it

  • Ask before you tell. Start with “what do you think is fair?” — the answer is often closer to yours than you'd expect.
  • Keep the numbers realistic. Screen time by age can help you pick a starting point.
  • Set a review date. Rules with an expiry date are easier to accept, especially for teenagers.
  • Let the computer keep the deal. The hard part is enforcing it every day. child-time does that on a Windows PC: a daily limit and bedtime hours, a timer your child can see, warnings before time runs out and tasks that earn minutes — the same things you just wrote down. More on agreeing the rules.
  • Pair it with a chore chart. Section 4 works best with a visible list: printable chore chart for earning screen time.
  • For younger kids, add a poster. Eight simple screen time rules on one page for the fridge.

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