A free first-phone contract for kids (template)

A short, friendly first-phone agreement you can read through with your child and sign together. Free. No email gate. Meant to be adapted, not followed to the letter. Not a list of threats. A shared understanding, written down once so you aren’t renegotiating it every evening.

How to use it: keep it short, agree it together rather than handing it down, revisit it in a few months rather than treating it as fixed forever. A contract a child has helped shape is one they’ll actually keep.

The agreement

Our first-phone agreement

This phone belongs to our family, and [child’s name] is looking after it. We are both signing this because we have talked it through and agree on it.

What the phone is for. Keeping in touch when we are apart: calls and texts to family and friends, and a way to let each other know where we are.

Where it sleeps. The phone charges overnight in [the kitchen / the hall], not in the bedroom. We both do this, not just [child’s name].

When it is away. At mealtimes, during homework, and at bedtime. Away means out of sight, not face-down on the table.

At school. The phone follows the school’s rules. It stays off and in the bag during the school day.

Being kind on it. We use the phone to be kind. We do not send anything we would not say to someone’s face. If a message upsets [child’s name], they can always show a parent, and they will not be in trouble for it.

If something feels wrong. If anyone contacts [child’s name] who they do not know, or anything makes them uncomfortable, they tell a parent. No blame, ever. This is the most important line in this agreement.

Looking after it. [Child’s name] tries to keep the phone safe and charged. If it is lost or broken, we sort it out together calmly; accidents happen and it is only a phone.

Answering. When a parent calls or texts, [child’s name] replies when they reasonably can, so we all worry less.

We will talk again. We will look at this agreement again in [three / six months] and change anything that is not working.

Signed: [child’s name] … and [parent’s name] … Date: …

Why each line is there

A few notes for you, not for the contract itself. The overnight charging rule matters most for sleep, and it lands far better when the adults follow it too. The “no blame” lines on upsetting messages and unknown contacts are what keep a child telling you things as they get older. Resist the urge to attach consequences to them. The review date stops the agreement becoming a stick. It makes it a living thing you adjust as your child grows.

This pairs with the conversation

A contract works best after the conversation, not instead of it. If you haven’t had that conversation yet, our seven-moment script is the place to start. Calm replies to the things children most often say. Still choosing the handset itself? The ranked list and the ninety-second picker will help.

How to introduce it

How you hand the agreement over matters as much as what it says. Sit down together. Don’t present it as a done deal. Read it through aloud once. Invite your child to change a line or two. A clause they’ve helped shape is one they’ll actually keep. Both of you sign it, including the parent. The overnight-charging and phone-away-at-meals lines apply to the adults too, and children notice keenly when they don’t.

Then put it somewhere ordinary. The inside of a kitchen cupboard or the family noticeboard. Not framed on a wall. The aim is a shared understanding you can point back to, not a set of rules handed down. When the review date comes round, treat it as a real conversation about what is and isn’t working, and change the bits that need changing. A contract that grows with your child stays useful. One fixed in stone quietly gets ignored.

Common questions

Should a first phone come with a contract? A short, shared agreement helps, as long as it’s warm and agreed together rather than imposed. Saves you renegotiating the same points every evening.

What are the most important rules for a first phone? Charging it outside the bedroom overnight. Keeping it away at meals and bedtime. Following the school’s rules. An absolute no-blame promise so your child always tells you if something feels wrong.

Should the rules ever change? Yes. Build in a review date and adjust as your child gets older and shows they can handle more.