Family Tech Agreement

Source:https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

It takes a whole family to be safe online. 

A family tech agreement is a set of rules about how devices, like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs and gaming consoles are used in your home. It is written down and agreed to by all family members and kept in a place where everyone can see it (such as on the fridge).

This agreement is designed to help your family have a smoother time around technology in your home and promote safer online experiences.

Early Years

When your child is around 3 years old, it is a good idea to make a family tech agreement together.

At this age, children are recognising rules, so you can build on this understanding in a fun way to talk about online safety and set some rules. Talking with your child about these rules helps to develop their critical thinking and self-regulation skills and encourages them to build good habits around technology. It can also help them to understand how the internet and networked technologies work, which in turn explains the importance of online safety.

We have developed this family tech agreement in collaboration with ABC KIDS. You can use the agreement provided here:

This is specifically tailored for younger children and includes pictures to explain the rules. Or you can create your own using the template, with different rules for children of different ages and pictures that suit your particular situation and family. As children grow older, or if your situation changes, it is a good idea to revise your agreement.

Primary and Older

Each family has different expectations and rules, just make them consistent and age appropriate.

Use parental controls

Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit what your child sees and does online.  

They can be set up to do things like: 

• Block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions (like using a device’s camera, or the ability to buy things). 
• Filter different kinds of content — such as ‘adult’ or sexual content, content that may promote self-harm, eating disorders, violence, drugs, gambling, racism and terrorism. 
• Allow you to monitor your child’s use of connected devices, with reports on the sites they visit and the apps they use, how often and for how long.  
• Set time limits, blocking access after a set time. 

If a device or program is shared by multiple members of your family, you should be able change the tool settings to reflect each user’s age and skills. 

For further support in parenting in the digital age, please visit: https://drkristygoodwin.com/speaking-topics/#parents or https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents