Essential Digital Parenting 2026 CyberSafeKids - Manual / Resource - Page 29
B e tte r D i g i t al Paren ting
C y b e rs a fe K i d s
Parental Resources:
Developing a Family Agreement
A family agreement can be
a great way to normalise
discussing online life.
Creating one as a family and displaying it
prominently in the house is a proactive and
engaging way to create ‘buy-in’ from all, and
hold everyone to account for their online
behaviours and habits.
So how do we get started?
› Create time to have a conversation with
your family about your online lives – think
about how you use the online space and
what your habits and behaviours are online.
› Generate an atmosphere of mutual
respect and trust, necessary if the
agreement is going to work. Imposing
restrictions from ‘on high’ will be much
less effective!
› Try to keep the conversation positive:
make the focus on safety and healthy
habits and draw parallels with the offline
world, e.g. the importance of learning
how to cross the road safely, or of learning
to drive properly.
› Try tracking online time in advance of
sitting down (e.g. use Screen Time) and
sharing it – it can help everyone see
current habits and decide together what
should be in the family agreement.
If you’re thinking of gifting a device, check out our helpful Gadget
Gift Guide first by scanning the QR code or clicking here.
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