Create Your 2026 Family Tech Agreement Plan!

Welcome back to school!  

With every new semester, routines around technology tend to shift. If you have not yet revisited your Family Tech Agreement Plan for this semester, please do so this weekend. Having a Family Tech Agreement Plan helps create positive habits and foster overall wellness.   

Here are some helpful steps in creating your Family Tech Agreement Plan: 

1. Start the conversation around what your family values: Most families start with healthy meals, study, downtime, sleep, and exercise. What is important to you as a family? Family time? Sports? Hobbies? Being outside? Time with Friends? Jot those down first. 

2. Use those family values and the questions below to help develop and refine your Family Tech Agreement Plan. By connecting each of these questions with your family values, children and teenagers better understand the reasons behind having a tech plan. 

• Where can devices be used and where are the tech-free zones?   

  • Experts strongly recommend tech-free bedrooms for all ages to help encourage sleep, balance, and overall wellness.  

  • Other commonly recommended tech-free places are cars and kitchens. Keeping these places tech-free invites more conversations and connections as a family. 

•  When can devices be used?   

  • For younger children, devices should only be used alongside an adult. For older children and teenagers, devices are best used in a common area where an adult is frequently checking in with the student. 

  • Adopting a “One Screen at a Time” motto helps promote focus and limit distractions. 

  • Experts also recommend turning off all screens 1-2 hours before bedtime to encourage positive sleep patterns. 

• Where will devices be charged?   

  • Charging devices in the parents' bedroom or in a central location help encourage sleep, balance, and overall wellness. 

• What can digital devices be used for (laptop, cell phone, tablet, gaming console)?   

  • Can a device be used for accessing the internet? Gaming? Social media? Face-timing others? What should a device not be used for? 

• What other guardrails (limits) will be in place to help ensure safe, healthy, responsible habits? 

  • All devices at home belong to the parents and ultimately, parents have the responsibility for how, when, and where technology is used at home. What other guardrails help support your family best in ensuring meaningful, safe, healthy, and responsible use? 

• What expectations are there around digital citizenship/digital life? 

  • Having open conversations around digital life helps children and teens know how to respond to tricky situations and encourages them to come to you if they have questions. Be sure to talk with your children about:   

    • Treating others online the way you want to be treated. 

    • Keeping a strong, secret password that only a parent knows.

    • Chatting online: Who is okay to chat with? Who is not? 

    • Sharing: What should never be shared, what can be shared with some people, and what is oversharing. 

    • Fact-checking and recognizing rumors or clickbait. 

    • Recognizing Red Flags: Talk to a parent when something feels wrong, unsafe, or like digital drama. 

Final Thoughts 

Success takes time. The goal is to help all members of a family establish positive and healthy life habits in a connected way. Foster this connection through regular conversation, clear expectations, and genuine modeling.  

For additional information on making a Family Agreement or a specific Family Media Plan, please check out the resources below: 

• Back to School Already: Easing the ScreenTime Transition 

• Screenagers – Spring Reset. 4 Steps to Setting New Screen Limits 

• American Academy Pediatrics – How to Make a Family Media Plan 

Sample from one family’s plan: 

Please contact Leanne Rainbow at rainbowl@tas.edu.tw if you have any questions.