Family tech agreements
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.
Start the chat with your family and develop an agreement together. We understand families and households have their own agreements and approaches to being online and using devices, and that every child is different. If you’re caring for children of varying ages you may need to talk with them in different ways.
You know your child best. Keep in mind their age, developmental stage, emotional readiness and individual needs when creating a family tech agreement.
On this page, the family tech agreements include under 5s and 5 to 8 years. We are developing family tech agreements for 9 to 12 years and 13 to 15 years which take into consideration social media age restriction laws.
Create an agreement with under 5s
When your child is around three years old, it's a good idea to make a family tech agreement together. This is when children are recognising rules, so you can build on this understanding in a fun way to talk about online safety and set some guidelines.
Writing an agreement will help to develop their critical thinking and self-regulation skills. They will also start to explore how the internet works and build good habits around technology.
Create an agreement with 5 to 8 year olds
These guidelines are designed for children aged 5 to 8 years. Creating a family agreement together at this age will help you to have a smoother time with technology in your child's late primary and early secondary school years.
Talking with your child about tech rules will develop their digital intelligence and build good habits around technology.
Create your own family tech agreement that you can print out and display. Just download the PDF file, which includes the poster and discussion points.
Last updated: 28/01/2026