Screen Time: Writing a Family Media Agreement Your Kids Will Actually Follow

If your screen rules trigger a nightly negotiation, it's often because they live in your head, not on paper. An unwritten rule is a rule to re-negotiate every evening. A posted agreement becomes a neutral third party: it's no longer "you versus me," it's "us and the agreement."

Build it together: when are screens okay, where (never in bedrooms?), and above all what comes first (homework, time outside)? Let your kids propose the terms — they're often stricter than you'd expect when they're included. Add what happens if the agreement is broken, decided calmly, in advance, together.

Everyone signs it, you post it, and you schedule a review every few months: an agreement that grows with your child keeps being respected; a frozen one becomes a relic everyone works around.