Your Family’s First-Phone Agreement and Setup Checklist

A useful phone agreement describes what your family will actually do. Fill this out together, leave room to change it, and choose a date to review it. It is a conversation tool, not a legal contract or a promise that a phone will keep someone safe.

Print the checklist and agreement

Before the phone changes hands

• The child has their own account with their actual birthday.
• We followed the age 10–12 or 13–14 path in the iPhone or Android guide.
• The phone has supported updates installed, and the parent knows how to review its controls.
• Parent-controlled settings use a separate passcode or approved account verification.
• App approvals, purchases, content access, and permissions match our agreement.
• We reviewed location sharing and explained who can see it.
• Trusted contacts are saved and a normal practice call works.
• School-day and home schedules allow the contacts and tools we need.
• If using Boost Mobile, the compatible phone has been activated through the supplied eSIM instructions.
• We know the monthly service cost and who is responsible for it.

Choose the right starting agreement

Ages 10–12: Start with the younger-child account setup, a short agreed app list, and a parent-led review of contacts and permissions. Write down how the child asks for an exception.

Ages 13–14: Confirm the existing account's supervision state and discuss how independence can grow. Do not assume a birthday automatically removes supervision. Explain what you will review and why, and give your teen a clear way to discuss a rule that is not working.

Our family phone agreement

We are starting this agreement on: ____________________

The phone's main purposes are: ________________________________

Trusted adults to contact: _____________________________________

1. School: We will follow the actual school phone policy. Our phone stays ____________________. If plans change during school, we will ____________________.
2. Phone-away times: We put the phone away during ____________________. It charges overnight at ____________________.
3. Apps and spending: New apps and purchases need ____________________. We will check subscriptions together before agreeing to a trial.
4. Privacy: We ask before sharing someone else's photo, location, or personal information. We do not share passwords or verification codes with friends or people who contact us.
5. Unknown contact: If a message asks for money, secrets, personal information, or a private meeting, we stop and talk to ____________________.
6. Something upsetting: The child can ask for help even after a mistake. The adult agrees to listen before deciding what to do next.
7. Care and cost: If the phone is lost or damaged, we will ____________________. Service is paid by ____________________.
8. Review: We will talk again on ____________________ and adjust what is not working.

Agree on what happens when something goes wrong

For an unwanted message, stop engaging, use the app's block/report tools, and involve a trusted adult. Do not forward harmful images to friends. If a situation involves an immediate danger, seek emergency help through the appropriate local service.

For a missing phone or dead battery, decide on an alternative way to reach each other. Knowing the backup plan matters more than assuming a location app or a fully charged phone will always be available.

Review together after the first week

Ask three questions: What was useful? What got in the way? What should we change? Look at the app list and schedules together. The aim is a routine your family understands and can follow, with room for growing independence.

Child's name: ____________________ Adult's name: ____________________

Sources and further reading

• American Academy of Pediatrics: family media plans
• Apple: family controls for kids and teens
• Google: supervision and age changes

Source review: September 14, 2026. Menus, app features, and availability can change. Follow the current instructions shown on your device.