Screens, phones and online life

Screen time rules for kids: a family media plan

A short, copyable family media plan with rules by age — covering when, where, what and how to handle it when rules are broken.

Updated 3 min read By the AI Tutor Vault team, written with the help of an AI assistant

On this page
  1. What a good family media plan covers
  2. The template: copy, edit, sign
  3. Suggestions by age
  4. Making the rules stick
  5. Frequently asked questions
  6. Next steps

The best screen time rules are few, clear and agreed together. Below is a short family media plan you can copy, edit and put on the fridge — with suggestions by age and a simple way to review it as your children grow.

What a good family media plan covers

  1. When screens are and aren’t used.
  2. Where devices live, especially at night.
  3. What is OK to watch, play and use.
  4. How we stay safe and kind online.
  5. What happens when rules are broken — and how we review them.

The template: copy, edit, sign

Family media plan (copy and edit)
OUR FAMILY MEDIA PLAN

Screen-free times:
- Meals
- The hour before bed
- Homework time (unless the homework needs a device)
- [ADD YOUR OWN]

Screen-free places:
- Bedrooms at night — all devices charge in [PLACE]
- The dinner table
- [ADD YOUR OWN]

How much:
- School days: [AMOUNT] of fun screen time, after homework and outdoor time
- Weekends: [AMOUNT]
- Schoolwork on a device doesn't count as fun screen time

What's OK:
- Games, apps and videos that match the age rating and our family's values
- New apps or games: ask first
- [ADD YOUR OWN]

Staying safe and kind:
- Never share our address, school, passwords or photos of others
- Only chat with people we know in real life
- If something online feels wrong, scary or mean, tell a parent — you won't be in trouble for telling
- Be as kind online as face to face

Learning on screens:
- AI apps are for explaining, quizzing and hints — not for doing homework

Grown-ups too:
- Parents put phones away at meals and when we're talking

If a rule is broken: [AGREED CONSEQUENCE]

We'll review this plan on: [DATE]

Signed: ______________   ______________   ______________

For AI specifically, see our family AI agreement; for a first phone, the first-phone agreement.

Suggestions by age

  • 6–8: screens in shared rooms, content chosen together, short sessions, a parent nearby.
  • 9–12: more choice within limits, a “ask before new apps” rule, regular chats about what they watch and play.
  • 13–15: focus on sleep, homework and safety; involve them in setting amounts.
  • 16–18: mostly self-managed, with the family agreement about sleep and shared times.

Making the rules stick

  • Write it with your children, not for them.
  • Keep it short — rules nobody remembers don’t work.
  • Be consistent, especially in the first few weeks.
  • Follow the grown-up rules too.
  • Review every few months, and when a child starts a new school or gets a phone.

For the hard moment when screen time ends, see how to limit screen time without daily fights.

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a family media plan?

Screen-free times and places, how much recreational screen time, what content is OK, online safety and kindness rules, consequences, and a review date.

Should screen rules be the same for all my children?

Shared family rules (like no phones at dinner) work well for everyone. Amounts and freedoms can differ by age.

What if my child keeps breaking the screen rules?

Apply the agreed consequence calmly, then revisit the plan together — the rules may be unclear or unrealistic.

Do parents need to follow the rules too?

It helps a lot. Children notice when adults’ phones come to dinner.

Next steps

Copy the template, fill in the blanks together this weekend, and sign it. Put a review date in the calendar.

Screens, phones and online life How to limit screen time without daily fights How to get kids off screens with fewer meltdowns: warnings, routines, alternatives and limits that run themselves. Screens, phones and online life Phone rules for kids: a first-phone agreement The rules worth agreeing before a child gets their first phone, as a simple agreement you can edit and sign together. AI and homework AI rules for kids: a family agreement for homework A short, copyable family AI agreement — with versions by age — that children can actually follow. Screens, phones and online life How much screen time is OK for kids? Why “how many hours” is only part of the answer, what to weigh up at each age, and how to build a balance your family can keep.