Our Family Agreement

Our Goals for You

As your parents, we want you to:

Take your job as a student seriously and give school work your best effort.

Spend time with friends and family through playdates, activities, or just hanging out.

Have a balanced relationship with technology (You can turn it off,enjoy other activities and not be distracted by it.)

Get outside:

Aim for one hour a day.

Get exercise:

The AAP recommends one hour a day.

Get enough sleep:

The AAP's Sleep Guidelines: 9 to 11 hours for children ages 6-12; 8-10 hours for children; 9 to 11 hours for age of 14-17.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Screen Time Guidelines

The AAP's guidelines for children over 6 are fairly open-ended. Rather than specific time limits, their recommendation is to balance media use with other healthy behaviors.

Guidelines for Device Use

Before screen time begins, we expect you to have completed your:

Basic Responsibilities:

Completing homework before bedtime, keeping your room tidy, bathing etc.

Family Contributions (e.g. chores):

Helping to prepare family meals, setting the table, cleaning up the kitchen, taking out the trash, walking the dog, etc.

Generally, you may have screen time:

During the school year:

20 minutes or 1 short show before starting homework and one hour on weekends.

While on vacation:

One hour; more while traveling.

Please refrain from using screens while:

Eating

In the bathroom

In the bedroom

Walking, and especially not when crossing the street!

At school

Dining with others

In the car

except on long trips.

Doing homework

unless required to complete an assignment.

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Building Healthy Digital Habits

Good manners are always a plus+:

When someone approaches you, be sure to look up from your device and give a friendly greeting. If you’re in the middle of something… let them know when you’ll be finished.

Please ask permission before touching someone else’s device (including a parent's!).

Consider frequency when texting your friends. Too many messages can be annoying.

Now that you have the privilege of communicating with friends and family… be sure to respond to their messages in a timely manner. It doesn't have to be immediate… but generally within 24 hours.

When friends come over and at social events, be mindful that the purpose is to spend time together.

Devices should be put away unless approved by a parent.

Be aware of how your device use affects others:

Wear headphones if someone finds the volume too noisy… and be sure someone doesn’t feel snubbed.

Be responsible online — always think before:

Writing anything in a text… email… or comment that you wouldn’t say in-person, or want us to see.

Forwarding any communication(including photos) that might be hurtful to someone.

Taking a picture or video of yourself or anyone else that could be embarrassing if ever shared publicly.

Be sure you have someone’s permission when taking a photo or video.

Sharing or giving your device to anyone without careful consideration.

You wouldn’t want someone to text, email, or post under your name.

Giving out personal information online without our permission.

This includes your name, phone number, address, birth date and credit card information.

Learn to take breaks:

Return your devices to the charging station at night — they need a bed time as do you.

Take a break from devices for an extended period of time to do something else you enjoy.

Do one screen activity at a time — multitasking on multiple devices can interfere with your ability to focus.

When doing homework, minimize distractions.

Leave your phone in another room and check it on breaks.

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Expectations and Consequences

Some basic rules:

Your device is on loan to you.

If screen time is disrupting the peace in our household or interfering with family time, then you will shut off the devices.

We have set parental controls for your digital safety and well being. We expect these settings to remain active.

You are responsible for knowing where your device is at all times. If out in public, do not leave it unattended.

You must obtain permission from a parent before opening any new account.

We will always have your account usernames and passwords.

You do not have our permission to participate in online chat rooms.

If a device is lost, stolen, or damaged due to your misuse or carelessness, then you:

Will be responsible for its repair and replacement.

We expect you to:

Answer the phone when we call and respond to our text messages in a timely manner.

Be respectful of other families’ rules.

Always protect your device with a passcode.

Use school-issued devices for the purposes of schoolwork only.

Be patient — devices don’t always work perfectly, and we may not be able to fix the problem right away.

Make sure your device stays charged.

Put device away at least one hour before bed time —– the blue light can interfere with sleep.

Your device privileges may be taken away if:

Break our trust or our family rules, including the terms of this Family Agreement.

Fail to uphold your responsibilities as a student and contributing family member.

Fail to conduct yourself with a cooperative and respectful attitude.

Change passwords.

Fail to treat device(s) with care.

You are secretive with your online activity.

Change parental controls or find ways to avoid them.

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Parental Privileges

We're responsible for your digital safety and teaching you healthy habits:

Screen time is never guaranteed. It depends on our family’s plans; check in with us first.

We may put devices away for a while, if an extended screen time break is needed.

We expect you to discuss with us anything online that makes you feel uncomfortable or upsets you.

Let us know if you’re concerned you may have hurt someone’s feelings.

We will approve all downloads and purchases in advance.

We may ask you to stop playing certain games or watching certain shows, if we decide they are inappropriate or not quality content.

We may limit the number of apps you can download… so we can be familiar with how they work.

We may review your online activity which includes:

Texting

Social media

Viewing history

Emails

Web-browsing

Online chats

Tracking your location

Does your child use social media?

does your child use social media yes no selector

• Yes
• No

You may use:

Enter the name of the social media app(s).

Based on our extensive review of the research

Based on our extensive review of the research, the recommendation is to limit teens to 1-2 platforms and encourage them to limit their time to approximately 30 minutes on each.

We will:

Know your usernames and passwords for all of your social media accounts.

Friend / follow you.

Monitor direct messaging activity.

We expect that you will be mindful of:

What you post (your posts should always be in good taste).

Oversharing and how frequently you post.

How your posts and activity might affect someone else.

You will:

Only allow people to follow or friend whom you know in-person.

Refrain from disclosing your location.

Refrain from opening secret accounts.

Let us know if engaging in social media makes you feel anxious, depressed, lonely or sad.

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Child Name

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