Family Digital Agreement, Ages 6–9 — The Foundation

The Foundation is where it starts: the first tablet, the first game with other people in it, the first time a screen says "just one more." Ages 6–9 don't need a contract about phones they don't have yet. They need a clear, calm map of what's okay, what isn't, and what happens when they get it wrong — plus a parent willing to put their own habits on the page too.

This is a 14-page printable PDF you fill out together and post where everyone can see it. It's specific. It names the apps your kid actually uses — YouTube, Roblox, Minecraft, the family group chat, the shared tablet — instead of waving at "screens" in the abstract. And it doesn't count minutes: how long a kid was on a device tells you nothing about whether they built something or scrolled into a hole. We pay attention to what they're doing, not how long.

A few positions this document takes, so you know them before you buy:

• Devices charge outside the bedroom overnight. Firm — and it starts now, while it's easy, long before there's a phone to argue about.
• AI companion apps, the kind that act like a friend you text with, are off the table at this age. It's our most contested stance. We hold it anyway.
• The agreement runs both directions. Your kid isn't the only one making promises.

And the page we think matters most — the Amnesty Clause: "Once per quarter, your kid can tell you about a mistake — and there is no phone consequence for the telling. No questions about how we found out. We help fix what can be fixed. We move on." A kid who's afraid to tell you when something went wrong is a kid you can't help. This page is how you keep them coming to you.

No fearmongering, no lectures, no pretending one rulebook fits every family. Edit it. Cross things out. Make it yours.

Spec bullets (these can go in the description or a theme "specs" block):

• 14-page printable PDF — instant digital download
• Built for ages 6–9: first devices, shared family screens, early gaming and video
• Fill-in agreement that both kid and parent sign
• Includes the Amnesty Clause, overnight charging norms, app-by-app guidance, and parent commitments
• Prints at home on standard US Letter — no special paper
• Personal/household use; one purchase per family
• Digital file — nothing ships