make a phone contract your kids

Make a Phone Contract with Your Kids

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  1. Make a Phone Contract with Your Kids
  2. Teach Children Phone Use Principles: A Response to the Phone Contract

Our phone contract for our sweet Rebekah as she get’s her first phone. (The same as the one we used for Joseph last year). For those that may want something similar with your kids. I got it and modified it from someone else online and want to pass it on in case you need it.


[Child’s Name Here]’s Phone Contract

[Insert Date]

The following contract has been written up to help [child name] as she goes to Middle School… and officially becomes a member of the phone carrying race of human beings. It is not our goal to restrict you, but teach you to use your phone to communicate and be a tool the Lord can use to get his work done here on the earth. That is why you have a phone. Use it wisely. Here are some guidelines we feel can assist you to learn the lessons you need and protect you from the things that can diminish and ultimately take away your divine potential and the Spirit of the Lord that guides you.

  1. It’s Mom and Dad’s phone. We bought it. We pay for it. We are loaning it to you. Aren’t we the greatest?
  2. We will always know the password (if there is one).
  3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever.
  4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone’s land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
  5. It does not come on at school except for emergencies, or if a teacher has asked you to use it for class. Otherwise, have a conversation with the people you text in person. It’s a life skill.
  6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs.
  7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay away from those that are being hurtful..
  8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
  9. No pornography.
  10. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the phone to change that.
  11. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else’s private parts. Don’t laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear — including a bad reputation. More important than all that you make it impossible for the Lord to lead and guide you when you do things like this.
  12. Don’t take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
  13. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO—fear of missing out.
  14. Learn how to use it. Learn about what it can do and use it to it’s fullest to organize your life and keep you moving in the direction the Lord would have you go.
  15. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
  16. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without Googling.
  17. You will mess up. We will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & us, we are always learning. We are on your team. We are in this together.
  18. We trust you.
  19. We love you. More than you can ever know. And we want you to be happy, and especially to know how to use technology to help you in your life. It can be an amazing tool if you learn to use it properly.
  20. We’ll do our best to be good examples of proper smartphone use.

Signed,

______________________________________ Date: __________________________________
[Child Name Here]

______________________________________ Date: __________________________________
[Parent 1]

______________________________________ Date: __________________________________
[Parent 2]

 


Editors notes:
Some may think it’s silly, but there’s symbolic power in printing and having your child/teen read, understand, agree to, sign, and witness you signing a contract like this.

On a separate note, Republic Wireless has the Moto E for only $99, or the Moto G for $159, add a $10/month plan that includes unlimited talk and text to either of those, and you’ve got an ideal combination for any teen or pre-teen. Plus it’s easy on your bank account.

2 comments
  1. We did exactly this, with each of our 3 kids that have reached the age of 14 / high school. I counseled all the family’s in our ward to do the same – the cell phone is the parents property – they control it – not the child. Unfortunately, too many family’s have given phones to their kids and the kids feels it’s their right to have one. sad…

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