The best way to get on the same page and set up some guidelines for using technology in your home is creating a family media agreement or a technology contract for your kids to sign. Help each member of your family take accountability for their screen time!

Technology contract for families from Shawni Pothier

It’s so important for us as a family to figure out how to balance technology in our home while also teaching our kids how to use technology appropriately in this day and age. We’re surrounded by technology. In order to be successful in this world, kids need to know how to use it to be productive and successful humans.

TECHNOLOGY GUIDELINES FOR TEENS

If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’ve chatted about the negative impact of technology on our homes before. So what kind of rules and guidelines do you have for technology around your house? I’m talking about cell phones, iPads, computers, tv, the whole she-bang. I’ve been trying to figure out how to balance this with my own family. Part of me wants to just shun all tech because I’m worried about my kids turning into huge couch potatoes or those types of teens that ignore everyone around them because they are texting or surfing all day. I really hate that.

Some questions I’ve been asked frequently about technology are: Do your kids have cell phones? Have you set rigid time limits? Do you ever have to take technology away?

And the answers are: Yes! Max and Elle have cell phones. And Grace has a iPod she can text from. We don’t allow any television on school nights except for special occasions. We haven’t had to take technology away from the kids (yet:). 

I keep having this sneaking, gnawing worry about technology. There a ton of pros about technology, but I have been feeling so much responsibility as a mother for teaching my children to properly use it, rather than letting it control them.

TEACH HOW TO USE TECHNOLOGY BY EXAMPLE

As a parent, I find that darn phone of mine cradled in my hand at all the wrong times: during homework help, at the park, during the girls’ bath time. Sure, it’s “important” things I’m working on. Most of it really is. But more “important” than making my eyes shine with my children and husband and keeping my spirit growing?? Nothing is more important than that. Nothing. I may not be modeling a purely responsible example myself. I’ve set a goal to get rid of technology when my kids are home. I put my phone in a different room so I don’t get distracted and can focus on the needs of my family. It’s really, really hard but I’m trying my best and it makes me—and all the rest of us–so much happier. It is my responsibility to model how to use technology.

Technology is sneaky enough to seep into places I don’t want it, and has the audacity to act like it totally belongs there. A waiting list of emails wallow impatiently on my computer screen. All. Day. Long. And they never, ever end. Messages from my voicemail blink at me unwaveringly. Texts ding in my ear and entice me away from things I want to be focused on. So if I, the mother, am letting technology encroach the important parts of my life, how am I supposed to train my children to not let it rule their lives? 

KIDS USING TECHNOLOGY

Instagram lures teens into being mesmerized by a screen and things people are doing that they are not. Group texts vibrate in all night long. How in the world can kids concentrate in school when they are texting at 2a.m.? Twitter feeds spill out all kinds of details that no one really needs to know. 

Sure, technology has positive points. It’s amazing that I can text Elle at school and remind her about a change in her tennis lesson right after school. Grace can text me about being a little late for dinner. Max can find out his friend is coming to pick him up with a glance at his phone. But where do you draw the line?

How are teens supposed to grow up to be focused, deliberate, personable and passionate adults when they’re locked into screens all the time? I have a hard time with kids siting in the back seat of a car, or at lunch at school, or hanging out on the weekend, each in their own private “cyber world” when they could be having actual human conversations with the people sitting right next to them. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t like it.

What happened to going in and talking to the parents when you pick up a girl for a date? Or asking a girl on a date in person for that matter. Elle had a friend who was sad the other day and shared her text conversation about it with me. It warmed my heart that Elle reached out to her to make her feel better, but why not pick up a phone and say, “Hello, this is Elle. May I talk to ______?” and then letting a human conversation of concern and love ensue? We need more of that!

HOW DO WE SET KIDS UP FOR SUCCESS?

As I was wading in my worry and trying to figure out how to positively entice my children to stay in the human world rather than letting technology wrap it’s greedy little fingers around their brains I was reminded of something I had read. A mother had created a “phone contract” for her 13-year-old when she gave him a new phone for Christmas. It hit me: We needed our own family technology contract. And we needed it speedy-quick.

I studied the phone contract from Huffington post and decided to tweak it for our family. Parents are supposed to train and teach their children to be successful in this world. Having a contract doesn’t mean you don’t trust someone. In fact, a contract allows you to set clear expectations so that you can trust someone more. It will then make it easier to hold each party of the contract responsible in the future. A technology contract opens the avenue for healthy conversations with your teens about technology. I am 100% in favor of that great idea.

Dave and I went over my version of the contract together and then we introduced it to our kids in a special family council Family Home Evening. Lucy didn’t pay the least amount of attention and colored to her heart’s content, but the older four and Dave and I had the best conversation about all this technology hoopla. I’m so grateful for Janell Hoffman and her great idea because I tell you, we sat there and talked and talked about all the ins and outs of texting and tweeting and Instagramming…you name it. They told us things we didn’t know. We told them things they couldn’t know. Open conversation with teens is everything.

OUR TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT

Here’s a snippet of the contract we re-worked from that original one. We talked through each point together, even though it is long. Grab the full Technology Contract printable here!

Dear Children,

You are the proud owners of technology we never dreamed of having when we were your age! You are good and responsible children and we want you to have these things. As with many things in your life, as your parents, we feel the need to present some rules and guidelines because we adore you and want to help you be safe. We have been around a little longer than you have. We have seen the marvels of all this great technology and we are so grateful for it! But we have also noticed a gradual decline of old-fashioned communication that we feel is so very important for your spirit and your general development. So we’d like to introduce you to some rules and regulations we are establishing in our home.

Please read through the following contract. We hope that you understand it is our job to raise you into well-rounded, healthy young individuals that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it. You may be mad at us for a while about some of these things. You have enjoyed some great technological freedom which you have not abused and we are proud of you for that. But we feel the need to train you (as we train ourselves) to not let technology take over in our family or with your friends.Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your technology freedom. We love you with all our hearts and look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the years to come.

Technology House Rules

  1. Any cell phone in our home is a family phone. We, your parents, have bought these things. We pay for them. We are loaning them to you with the understanding that you will act responsibly.
  2. If you choose to put a password on your devices, we will always know the password.
  3. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 8:30pm every school night and every weekend at 11pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again before you leave for school. 
  4. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO — fear of missing out.
  5. After school you are mine for at least 15 minutes. Tell me our “three things” about your day before thinking about looking at a screen.

Technology Usage Rules

  1. At this point in the game, we reserve the right to be the only ones to give you license to any new apps. Please let us know if you want something new and why. We love to discuss these things with you, and we mostly trust your judgment.
  2. No pornography. If you have access to the web, search it only for information you would openly share with us. If you have a question about anything, ask a person — preferably us… we know more than you think we do. 
  3. Do not take seductive or inappropriate pictures of yourself or anyone else. Remember first and foremost that in our family we seek after goodness and want to shine our light to others. Remember also that cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. Be careful what you put out there. It is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear, including a bad reputation and hurt feelings.
  4. In addition to music you love, download music that is new or classic or different from what all your peers listen to. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons. 
  5. Play a game with words or puzzles or brainteasers every now and then.

Technology Communication Rules

  1. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ — not ever.
  2. If you would not make a call to someone’s landline, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected. 
  3. Do not text, email, or say anything through your device that you would not say in person, out loud, with your friend’s parents in the room. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Censor yourself.
  4. Although it is okay to take your phone to school with you, realize that it is mostly so that we can get a hold of you if we need you. Pay attention to your teachers. Work on assignments. Fill your brains with knowledge. At school, it must be turned off at lunch. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It is a life skill.
  5. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow your phone to change that.
  6. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to someone new. Wonder without googling.

Other Technology Rules

  1. If your device falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen and you should be prepared.
  2. You will mess up and we will take your phone away when you do. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start all over again. We are always learning. We are on your team. We are in this together.
  3. Most importantly, remember that your spirit is the most important thing that you have. Don’t let this privilege cramp your wonderful spirit. Don’t ever let your phone or technology seep into your relationship with your Heavenly Father. The noise of technology is quick to make us all think looking at a screen is more important than talking, especially to Heavenly Father. Make a practice to read your scriptures before you check texts or instagram in the morning. Pray first as well. 

It is our hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply only to phones or iPods, but to life in general. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine.

We love you forever,
Mom and Dad

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN A TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT

If you want to create your own contract, here are the main things you want to include to cover all your bases. First, you’ll want to have time limits for each device. This could include a no technology at the dinner table or no technology after a certain time each night.

You’ll also want to specify what content is appropriate for kids to consume. Which apps are off-limits, are games allowed, which sites to avoid, what social media can be created or consumed, etc.

Safety standards will also need to be set. Clarify that sharing personal information with anyone online is dangerous. There are certain things that need to be kept personal. In order to stay safe, you’ll want to make sure that kids know not to share their current location. And of course, sharing images can do lasting damage. Be sure your kids are aware of what they are doing on their phones.

Lastly, you’ll want to set consequences within the contract so that the repercussions of breaking the contract are clear. This way your teens cannot hold it against you if they break the rules. And it’s much easier for you to enforce!

Now you can make your own technology contract!

SHARING YOUR TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT

In order to get your family on board with the technology contract, make sure you set expectations. We love family council for this reason, it allows everyone to gather together with the idea that we’ll be discussing something important. Start the discussion on a positive note.

When we had our technology contract discussion, the love and communication in that room was tangible. We took some input from the kids to further make the contract unique for our family needs from there and the goal is for us all to sign it to make it official. How I hope that that discussion will be one of many to come as we all try to maneuver our way through a world with increasingly more and more technology at our fingertips.  We are the first generation of parents to deal with the influence of technology on our kids. I just hope we can use it for good and keep up our human-ness on the side 🙂

MORE TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR YOUR FAMILY

I share so many tips that I feel will help on the journey of motherhood! Here are some of my best posts about technology and teens.

Similar Posts

49 Comments

  1. I love this idea!!! My dad always had a dating contract for me and my sisters and back then I thought it was totally dumb, but today I think he was pretty darn smart!!!

  2. I love this! You are about 10 years further into this parenting thing then our little family but I love to read and plan now in hope of the best family we can raise. This was close to home for me as my mum has been sharing her struggles with my 16 year old brother that she never had as technology was not so available when we were youth! I love ALL these rules and the fact that you Included 9 and 11 WRITTEN in the contract!!!!

  3. This is a wonderful post. My kids are still little and we haven't gotten into their technology yet. I am delaying their experience as much as possible. They all wanted iPods for Christmas and I said no way. You get legos and dolls and books. I think you make a good point about parents modeling appropriate behaviors with technology first. Our kids actually brought this to our attention and they helped my husband and I come up with a few guidelines for ourselves.

    http://www.raisinglemons.com/motherhood/get-off-your-phone/

    Thanks for being a conscientious, deliberate mother.

  4. wow, I think your contract is powerful. It is wonderful that you have duscussed each point with your children, and built into the contract the possibilities or breakage and failure to stick to the rules – and made it seem like they will not be the end of the world, just a part of life – while still having such a positive feeling about technology and their access to it! Brilliant!

  5. I love this contract and need to save it for later for when our kids reach that age. Already, my 9 month old is obsessed with my phone, and it's not something I just hand to him to play with – I usually hide it from him. It always pains me to see so many people – kids and adults alike glued to their phones, and even worse, I've realized my husband and I are guilty at times of looking at our phones too often. Time to make a change. I don't want our kids missing out on important communication life skills, and if they see us attached to our phones… they won't know any better.

  6. I'm a middle school teacher and while technology can be a positive thing, I've seen the negative effects of it on my students. Last year one of my 8th graders committed suicide and it was devastating. She was a beautiful, popular girl with so much promise. Throughout the night of her suicide kids were up all night texting and face booking each other. So many parents told me how upset they were that their children didn't wake them up to tell them about it…they were all dealing with it in their bedrooms, alone and on-line. Teens are exposed to so much and are dealing with so many pressures we can't possibly understand and they are trying to do it alone.
    Thank you for posting some practical ideas for parents to help teens navigate this world of technology!! My own children are approaching the "tween" age and I'm filing this contract away for the future!

  7. I LOVE this!! I wish I would have thought of something like this when my kids were younger….they are adults now. The only thing I might have added is something about not ever using a cell phone or texting while driving a car.

  8. Thanks for this post Shawni. Three of my children 'grew up' before technology took off at the pace it did these last few years. I have a fifteen year old daughter who has her own phone which she purchased and a shared family laptop. It is good to see that we are not the only family which doesn't allow TV in bedrooms and expects the cell phone to be handed in on school nights. My daughter has a Facebook account with the stipulation that we as parents know her password and can check up on her at any time. It is hard to get a balance between knowing what she is doing but also respecting her privacy, after all we had conversations our parents didn't know about. Love the contract and although I don't think we will be introducing a similar thing, it will be brilliant for discussion.We also have a six year old who occasionally plays games on the laptop or phone but only for short periods, she's not really interested yet. Challenging for me to think about my own personal use of technology.X

  9. I'm saving this, as my kids aren't at that age yet. We've already made the rule that they get their own phone when they get a license so they can call for help if they need to. We have DS games that they can play in the car and also earn time for at home by doing chores. We have movie nights once a week and my little ones LOVE Baby Einstein videos, but other than that the tv isn't on. I actually want to spend time with my family and not fight for their attention.

    We were recently in Disney World and I was dumbfounded by how many people almost walked right into me because they were looking down at a screen. And a friend almost fainted when I told her I left my phone at home while we were away!

  10. This is getting filed away. My kids are 3 and 15 months, so it isn't needed yet, but I was JUST talking to my dad about this as we drove home from the airport. I know I need this reminder. Once my daughter said, mom put your phone down, my heart sank and I realized I needed to STOP!!!! Thanks, you are an awesome example!

  11. GREAT post!!

    While teaching seminary we would have a media/tech fast the week before conference – it was amazing to see how paralyzed some youth are without their phones. I LOVED hearing their testimonies of how they heard some much more from leaders by tuning out the white noise for a week.

    18 months ago my son's friend shot himself – after sending a group text to family. If ONLY they could have heard his voice…..

    Technology is like anything – the best and the worst. Your guidelines are awesome!

  12. Shawni,

    I love this and you you did a great job on it. The only thing I would add to my own is a no texting/talking while driving clause. So important for everyone, not just new drivers.

  13. Wow! Wonderful idea (and I love the changes you made to keep the gospel in perspective)! I am pinning this (I hope that is okay) for future use. My kids aren't old enough to have cell phones or anything like that right now. Thank you for being willing to share and not being afraid to share the changes you made to the contract. 🙂

  14. I loved the original contract as well, but your changes are just perfect. I so appreciate your perspective on so many things. Love your blog. My girls are 8 and 9 and received ipod touches for Christmas. I feel its so important to help them learn the how's and why's to living with technology instead of shielding them away from it. Although they love these little devices, they aren't consumed by them and rarely take them anywhere or use them without asking. I feel like we have established some good habits already, but these rules will definitley come up at our next FHE 🙂

  15. Shawni, I admire you and your family so much, and I appreciate your courage in putting yourself out there for criticism. I just want to raise my voice to say that I really feel that 6th grade is TOO YOUNG for kids to have mobile devices that allow unsupervised texting and Instagram. Grace doesn't need it, and her tender emerging self-image is being shaped in negative ways by constantly thinking of herself as a series of images posted online. We've seen some really sad things happen in our community because of 6th graders with cell phones (or iPods). I have a 6th grader, and she does not have a cell phone or ipod, and she won't for some time. I know sometimes parents feel like "everybody else is doing it," so I just wanted to put it out there that we are NOT doing it, it really is possible and I'm so grateful.

  16. I found this online – sorry I don't know who to give credit to but I thought it was great!

    Our family is currently participating in a “Fast From the World”, during which we are not watching TV or movies, no facebook, Pinterest, blogs (except a select few uplifting ones) gratuitous texting or e-mailing, radio or non-church/classical music. Our bishop invited our whole ward to do it, and it truly hasn’t been as hard as I thought. You said so many of these things are a “way of life” now- I thought that too until I stopped using them. Turns out the world keeps spinning and life goes on and we all still function just fine.

    Since the fast began I can see patience growing in all of us. The kids (8, 7, 3, and 6 mos) don’t even ask about the TV anymore- when homework is through they just go off to play a board game together, pull out art supplies, or we read a book together (The Mysterious Benedict Society is a fantastic read for the whole family) and they often help me cook dinner now too.

    My husband and I sit at the table and play card games after the kids are in bed or we just sit and talk. We’re really reconnecting.

    Our home has begun to feel like a true sanctuary, where the only influences allowed are our own. I know we can’t keep it up forever (after all, the Superbowl is coming up!) but it has definitely been an eye-opener for me. It’s been like a spiritual vacation. We’re doing one month- we started January 1st- and at the end we plan to reevaluate the role technology plays in our lives.

  17. I needed this inspiration today, thank you!! I have been thinking about how I can teach my kids to control the technology and not let it control them, this is perfect. Thank you!!

  18. Lately my husband and I have been just amazed at how many parents we know do not think twice about letting their kids have their phones and iPods in their rooms unsupervised.

    We decided from the start that all internet MUST be on our main floor and not in the basement or upstairs. They may listen to music, but their doors need to be open and at night, everything is put on our mudroom counter for charging. We have all their passwords and talk constantly about everything in the contract. There have been enough problems with misunderstood group texts that our 13 year old took herself off of Text Plus because the misunderstandings upset her so much. She was just in one group with friends from school with kids she sees every day and it was nasty.

    We have heard enough stories and my husband has seen so much (police officer) to know that this is what we want for our family. Our kids think we are too strict but we feel they are not ready to have unlimited internet.

    Again, I am amazed at how many people's kids have data or wifi in the house and they have their devices all night long with them in their rooms unsupervised. That, to me, is a recipe for disaster until they are old enough and mature enough to resist the temptations out there.

    Three examples that come to mind: I googled Strawberry Shortcake invitations for our little one and full blown porn popped up despite all our blockers. I opened Pinterest one evening to find several full frontal nudity photos posted by one person that weren't caught by the moderators. (And it wasn't artistic nudes.) And just yesterday our 10 year old came to me and told me that on Minecraft, a very popular building game around here, one of the servers she was playing on had sex rooms and people inviting players into private rooms. She plays this on the main floor right in front of me and I probably would not have noticed except she told me right away.

    Adults need to know that this stuff happens every single day! We just had a murder in our town by two seemingly normal adults who regularly and secretly visited a fetish website. Their participation eventually escalated into kidnapping a beautiful young kindergarten teacher in her mid 20s and they murdered her. I can't believe the media published the name of the fetish site…who knows how many curious young people went straight there to look and were intrigued by some of the things on there…

    I know it all comes down to teaching and trust, but I do feel like some parents have the wool pulled over their eyes and think this stuff would never interest their children.

  19. my cousins daughter is 13 and really wanted to go on facebook. Her father finally relented and allowed her to get an account- but she had to give him her password and he goes on daily to see what she is doing.

    At first I thought that was crazy and being too "helicopter". But then i realized he was more teaching her to never say things or do things that she would not say and do in front of him.

    She has a great time keeping up with her friends and she never gets into drama on it like other 13 year olds.

    It is very important to be open with technology in your house and teach rules around what is appropriate!

  20. I love this post. I love that you explained it in person, and didn't just expect them to understand, or worst yet, just gave them a rule and never explained a reason why. When I was growing up, I remember a few times when my parents gave us a rule but never explained why, and it was always so frustrating for me!! Thanks for sharing all of your ideas. Your optimism is so contagious!

  21. You took a wonderful idea and made it fit your family. I loved this post and I look forward to doing something like this when my kids are older and we start to have the technology come into our home. I am really glad that it was so well received by your kids and they were giving you guys feedback.

  22. I've been thinking about this a lot. So, I am happy to see you posted this.

    Do you have a text copy or pdf copy you could post?

    I would love to use parts of it and rework it for my family.

  23. Great work on this! I am so happy that you and your siblings grew up in an era of writing in journals more than writing in cyberspace. Makes you wonder what this new world will bring for those without guidelines and contracts. Love the whole idea!

  24. Great thinking on this! I am so happy that you and your siblings grew up in an era of writing in journals more than writing in cyberspace. Scary to think about what this new world will bring for those without guidelines and contracts. Love the whole idea!

  25. Inspirational! It's really hard as an adult to 'accept' what other people think is acceptable technology usage. I was so pleased that friends asked before getting out their phones to photograph food at a very fancy birthday dinner recently. My mother on the other hand… though her use was just to list what she'd like from the menu hahaha.

    Also, I was nominated for an award, which has the quirky 'pass it on clause' As I love and regularly read your blog I nominated you, though you are of course not obligated to continue the 'chain'. I just wanted to let you know 😀

  26. Hey! I've been following your blog for a month or so now and am so inspired by you! I've actually told a couple of my blog loving friends about 71 toes and we all visit your blog regularly! Thank you for sharing your life with us and for inspiring us to be better women, friends, and wives! <3 Jill

  27. Shawni, I really like the balance you struck! I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to see how the conversation went down when you introduced the rules to the kids – I love to know how people make these things positive experiences instead of just a big grumpy battle of wills. My oldest is 11, and I think it sounds like a great time to set the expectations for the future (and now!) Thanks!

  28. I really want to use this contract in my own family (with your permission.) Would you please post this contract in a form we would be able to copy?

    Thank you.

  29. The latest devices that are provided by this product are sophisticated device as well as expensive. Thus, most of the customer may not be able to get hold of their preferred device. To cater the growing demand of the users, the agreement contract phones cope has been introduced. Related:
    contract phones

  30. Is there a working link or pdf for your contract? It would definitely be helpful for our family. Thanks so much for your thoughts on this and sharing it with all of us.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *