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Parents vs. Phones
The 7-Clause Phone Contract That Can Save Your Evenings
A printable pact, and a gentle way to teach responsibility in a world where everyone has a screen.
Phones are not the enemy. They are powerful tools wrapped in social pressure, habit, and bright lights that steal sleep.
As a kid who was sent away to boarding school at three, I grew up learning how presence and attention mattered. We did not have phones in our pockets, so conversations and small moments had space to grow. That memory still shapes my view; presence is a skill. Phones can help, or they can quietly take that skill away.
Nearly every family faces the same pressure… if your child does not have a phone, the line you hear the most is, “But everyone else has one.” The reality is that almost all teens have access to a smartphone today, and that is the social context you are up against.
That is why a family contract is not about control; it is about clarity. Pediatricians and child experts now recommend building a Family Media Plan that fits your values, not copy-pastable rules from a blog. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a template for families to customize. That is the smart starting point: use a trusted map, then make it yours.
