Academics · Subject Resources

A phone talk that ends
in an agreement.

Arguments about phones go better with real numbers and a deal both sides helped write. Open the screen-time report together, note the apps that pull hardest and when, then set where the phone sits during homework and when it goes to charge. The guide totals the minutes, checks the sleep window for your child’s age and prints the agreement.

Start a conversationWhat you get

Conversations

The worked example is made up: a ninth grader who bargains for breaks, a sixth grader whose phone stays in bed, and a high school senior who mostly has it handled. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per family conversation: the child and age; each app with minutes a day and when it is used; lights out, wake time and when the phone goes to charge; where the phone sits during homework, notifications, device-free times, what the child asked for, a check-in date and four checks. Totals the minutes, works out the sleep window against the recommended range for the age and prints a family agreement to sign.
Who it is for
Parents and caregivers of children aged 6 to 18, and the school counselors and family liaisons who suggest a family screen plan.
Format
Browser discussion guide with a saved record per conversation. Prints the family agreement, the full record, every conversation in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Open the screen-time report together.
  2. Add the top apps and when they are used.
  3. Fill in sleep times.
  4. Agree on one homework rule and one night rule.
  5. Print it, sign it, check in later.

Start a conversation

Talking about screens

Three conversations, not one lectureAskWhat do you like abouteach app?When does it get in theway?What would help youstop?LookOpen the screen-timereport together.Find the two biggestnumbers.Notice when, not onlyhow long.AgreeOne homework rule, onenight rule.Something they get inreturn.A date to check how itwent.Three conversations, not one lectureAskWhat do you like about each app?When does it get in the way?What would help you stop?LookOpen the screen-time report together.Find the two biggest numbers.Notice when, not only how long.AgreeOne homework rule, one night rule.Something they get in return.A date to check how it went.
Starting with what they like about an app keeps the talk from turning into a lecture.

Sleep comes first

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s consensus recommends 9 to 12 hours of sleep a night for children aged 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers aged 13 to 18. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests screens off about an hour before bed and devices charged outside the bedroom. If the numbers fall short, the phone’s bedtime is usually the first thing to change.

Out of sight during homework

Switching to a message and back costs time to refocus, even when the reply takes seconds. Many families find a phone in another room works better than a phone face down on the desk. Try a week each way and compare how long homework takes.

Sources

  1. Paruthi, S., et al. (2016). Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(6), 785–786.
  2. Council on Communications and Media, American Academy of Pediatrics (2016). Media use in school-aged children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162592.
  3. American Academy of Pediatrics: Family Media Plan and guidance on screens and sleep (healthychildren.org).
  4. Your child’s school phone policy and the screen-time and focus settings on the device.

The worked example is made up. Sleep ranges are the general recommendations for healthy children; talk with your child’s doctor about sleep problems. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.