Screen Curfew Contract

A sign-together agreement between parent and child for screen-free evenings

How to Use This: Read through the entire contract with your child before signing. Let them help choose the curfew time and the alternative activities. Print it, sign it together, and post it where everyone can see it. Contracts kids help create are contracts kids actually follow.

Key terms: AASM = American Academy of Sleep Medicine. AAP = American Academy of Pediatrics. Melatonin = the hormone your brain produces to signal sleep time, which is suppressed by blue light from screens.

This isn't a punishment — it's a family agreement. Research from the AASM and AAP consistently shows that screen use in the hour before bed delays sleep onset, reduces sleep quality, and shortens total sleep duration in school-age children. This contract makes the rule clear, fair, and shared.

FAMILY SCREEN CURFEW CONTRACT

We, the undersigned, agree to the following screen-free evening rules. We make this agreement because sleep matters for our health, our mood, our ability to learn, and how we treat each other. These rules apply to everyone — kids AND parents.

Article 1: The Curfew

All screens are turned off by ___:___ PM every night— Recommended: at least 60 minutes before bedtime. If bedtime is 8:00 PM, screens off at 7:00 PM.

'Screens' means: TV, tablets, phones, computers, handheld games, and smartwatches

This applies every night: school nights, weekends, holidays, and summer— Weekend curfew can be 30 minutes later, but it must still exist.

Article 2: Where Screens Live at Night

All phones and tablets are charged in a common area — NOT in bedrooms— Designate a 'device dock' in the kitchen, living room, or hallway

No TV in any child's bedroom

Parent phones also go to the dock at curfew time (we lead by example)— If parents need their phone, it stays on silent, face-down, outside the bedroom

Article 3: What We Do Instead

The hour between screen curfew and bedtime is for:

Good Choices

✓Reading (books, comics, magazines)
✓Drawing, coloring, or crafts
✓Board games or card games
✓Talking as a family
✓Gentle stretching or yoga
✓Audiobooks or podcasts
✓Journaling or writing
✓Playing music (not on a screen)

Not These

✗YouTube 'just one more video'
✗Video games 'just to save'
✗TikTok / social media scrolling
✗Texting friends
✗Watching TV 'in the background'
✗'I need my phone for my alarm'
✗'I'm just checking one thing'
✗'But it's educational!'

Article 4: Consequences

If a family member breaks the curfew:

1First time: Friendly reminder. Device goes to the dock immediately.
2Second time (same week): Device goes to the dock 30 minutes earlier the next day.

Article 5: Exceptions

Homework that requires a computer is allowed until curfew time — but not past it— Plan ahead. If homework needs a screen, it gets done before curfew.

Family movie night is an exception (max 1 per week, on weekends)— Even on movie night, personal devices are still docked.

Emergency calls from parents are always permitted

Kindle/e-reader in dark mode with no backlight is allowed for reading— E-ink screens without backlighting don't suppress melatonin the way tablets do

Article 6: Review

We will review this contract as a family every 3 months. Anyone can propose changes. Changes require agreement from at least one parent and one child.

Signatures

By signing below, I agree to follow this contract and support everyone else in the family in following it too.

Parent 1: Name & Signature

Parent 2: Name & Signature (if applicable)

Child 1: Name & Signature

Child 2: Name & Signature (if applicable)

Child 3: Name & Signature (if applicable)

Date Signed

___/___/______

Next Review Date

___/___/______

Post this on the fridge. The physical visibility matters — it's not a rule, it's a commitment. Kids who helped create the rules follow them more willingly than kids who had rules imposed on them.

Important

The 'but I need my phone for my alarm' excuse is the #1 loophole. Buy a $10 alarm clock. Problem solved. A phone in the bedroom at night is a sleep destroyer for children and adults alike.

Budget tip: A basic alarm clock ($5-10) eliminates the phone-in-bedroom excuse. A phone charging station can be as simple as a power strip on a kitchen counter. You do not need expensive device management tools to enforce a curfew.

Next Steps: Use the Sleep Hygiene Scorecard weekly to track how the curfew is affecting your child's overall sleep habits. Review the contract as a family every 3 months and adjust the curfew time as your child demonstrates responsibility.

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