A family online safety agreement sets shared expectations for devices, privacy, spending and asking for help. Write it with your children, include promises adults will keep and make it short enough to use during everyday disagreements. The copy-ready example below gives you a starting point.
An agreement supports conversations and practical settings; it does not guarantee safety or replace adult responsibility. Adapt it to your child’s understanding, accessibility needs and the devices they actually use.
A Copy-Ready Family Online Safety Agreement
This is Impulsec’s suggested wording. Copy the promises that fit your household, then agree your own times, places and support contacts together. You do not need a formal contract or a signature to begin.
- We ask for help early. If a message, person, image or purchase worries us, we tell a trusted adult. Asking for help will not itself lead to punishment.
- Adults listen first. We will stay calm, help with the immediate problem and explain any action we need to take to keep someone safe.
- We protect private information. We check before sharing our address, school, live location or other details that could identify where we are.
- We respect other people. We ask before posting someone’s photo, personal news or private messages. We do not join in bullying or forward humiliating content.
- We agree before adding apps or spending money. We check age requirements, contact settings and purchases together. A free download does not mean everything inside it is free.
- We make room for sleep and everyday life. We agree when entertainment devices stop, where they charge and how schoolwork or accessibility needs are handled. Adults follow the household’s agreed device-free times too.
- We can stop an uncomfortable conversation. Nobody owes another person pictures, money or secrecy because they received a gift or became online friends.
- We protect our accounts. We use separate accounts where appropriate, strong passwords and available sign-in protection. We do not give passwords or verification codes to online contacts.
- We explain supervision. Adults say what controls or checks are used, what they can see and when the arrangement will be reviewed.
- We revisit the rules. We discuss new devices, apps and problems together and change rules that no longer fit.
Before using the agreement, name a primary trusted adult and a backup adult. Decide what your child should do if neither is reachable. Keep these contact details private; they do not belong in a public social-media post.
Turn General Promises Into Household Decisions
A promise such as “use the phone sensibly” is difficult to apply. Make a few clear decisions your child can explain back to you. These examples are choices to discuss, not universal limits.
Devices, Time and Charging
Choose a regular stopping point for entertainment on school nights and decide where devices charge. For example, a family might keep gaming off during homework and charge phones in a shared space overnight. Include exceptions for agreed school tasks, accessibility tools or contacting a caregiver.
Separate different activities instead of treating video calls with family, homework and endless scrolling as interchangeable. If you use a time limit, explain what it covers and how your child can request a reasonable extension.
Apps, Games and Purchases
Agree who approves new apps and who can authorise spending. Check subscriptions and in-game purchases separately from the initial download. Discuss who can contact your child and whether voice chat or public profiles are appropriate.
Check the actual service’s age rules and any applicable local requirements. A family agreement cannot override them. Avoid presenting one age threshold as suitable for every app, country and child.
Privacy and Supervision
Be specific about which settings you will review together. Routine account support is different from reading every conversation. Explain any monitoring before using it and agree how it will change as your child becomes more independent.
Keep account-recovery information accessible to the appropriate caregiver without displaying passwords on the agreement. If adults share access to a household service, use a suitable sharing method instead of sending credentials in a family chat.
Make the Agreement Suitable for Your Child
The eSafety Commissioner’s family tech agreements emphasise collaboration and adapting expectations to a child’s development and needs. Younger children may need a few simple promises and adult help. Older children can take more responsibility for settings, purchases and recognising pressure.
For teenagers, discuss what privacy means, what would trigger additional supervision and how to ask for help with an uncomfortable relationship. FOSI’s agreement for teens offers another resource for that conversation. Different rules for siblings can be reasonable when their needs differ; explain why.
Respond to Problems Without Making Help Feel Risky
If a child reports bullying, blackmail or unwanted contact, deal with safety first. Thank them for telling you. Discuss any separate rule breach later, calmly and proportionately. Do not blame a child for another person’s abuse.
For ordinary disagreements, ask what made the promise difficult to keep. You might clarify a rule, change an unrealistic routine or agree a proportionate consequence. Explain the decision and give the child a practical route back to normal use.
If you suspect coercive contact, our online grooming warning signs guide explains reporting and safe handling of messages. An agreement is a prevention tool, not a response plan for an emergency.
Match Device Settings to the Agreement
Use our first-phone safety checklist to align account security, app permissions and purchase settings with your decisions. Check restrictions on the child’s actual device; similarly named controls can work differently across platforms.
If you need to compare additional tools, our parental control app guide explains different family and device needs. Software cannot replace trust, and you do not need to buy an app simply to make an agreement.
Keep It Visible and Review It Together
Keep a copy somewhere the family can find, without private account details. Choose a review point that fits your household, then revisit it sooner if a new phone, game, school routine or safety concern changes what you need. There is no compulsory six-month interval.
Adults should model the promises too. If you need to use a phone during an agreed device-free time, explain why. Recognise sensible choices and helpful disclosures, so the agreement is useful beyond moments when something goes wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get a printable agreement?
The eSafety Commissioner provides age-adapted printable family tech agreements, and FOSI provides a teen version. You can also copy the suggested promises in this article into your own document.
Does every family need the same screen-time limit?
No. Agree a routine that fits your child’s needs, sleep, schoolwork and other activities. Explain what any limit covers and review it when circumstances change.
Can parental controls replace the agreement?
No. Controls can support selected settings and limits, but children still need clear expectations, trusted adults and a way to ask for help.
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Stuart Kerr Spindlow is Impulsec’s Publisher, Chief Editor and Lead Reviewer. He writes and maintains coverage of consumer cybersecurity and digital-safety software, with a focus on practical suitability, limitations and the evidence behind product claims. Read Stuart’s full profile.