Include parents in the rules to model the behavior

A media agreement that only applies to children breeds resentment. Include parent commitments: no phones during family meals, no scrolling during conversations, devices away during homework help time, and a parent screen time limit for evenings. When parents follow the same rules, children take the agreement seriously.

Why It Works

Children learn more from what parents do than what parents say. If parents scroll through dinner while telling children not to, the message is hypocrisy. Shared rules demonstrate that healthy media boundaries are family values, not just restrictions on kids.

Tips

• Be honest about your own struggles: "I check my phone too much too — let's work on this together"
• Let children gently call you out when you break the agreement (this builds accountability both ways)
• Track your own screen time using built-in tools and share with the family
• Parents modeling good behavior is the single most effective strategy