Family Screen-Time Agreement

Why this printable exists

Screen conflict has a property that makes it uniquely exhausting: it renews itself every single day, because the desire renews every day. When the rule lives only in a parent's head, each evening becomes a fresh negotiation with a highly motivated opponent. Moving the rule onto paper that everyone signed changes the shape of the argument entirely.

What's inside

• Fill-in limits for school days and weekends, in your own numbers
• A section for what always comes first — homework, outside, dinner, chores
• Screen-free zones that apply to adults too, because that is the part kids notice
• A calm pre-agreed consequence and a quarterly review date, plus signature lines

How to use it

1. Step 1. Write it together at a calm moment, never during or after a screen fight
2. Step 2. Let your child propose terms first — they routinely propose stricter ones than parents expect
3. Step 3. Post it next to the main screen and re-read it every three months

Where it fits in the Method

This page belongs to the Plan step of the FamilyDecode Method: you've decoded the friction, and this is the tool that turns the decision into something visible your family can follow. Review it at your weekly family meeting and adjust as your children grow.

Questions families ask