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A cell phone contract for teens that parents sign too
This cell phone contract for teens is one page with rules on both sides. The teen agrees to phone hours and six starter rules, and the parents agree to three of their own. Before anything goes wrong, both write down what happens if a rule slips and how the teen earns more freedom.
- Sheets
- Teen Phone Contract, plus two companions: Phone Rules for Parents and a Teen Proposal Form
- Paper
- US Letter and A4, portrait, one page each
- Formats
- Blank and a fillable PDF; the filled-in example is below
- Designs
- Minimal, warm and color
What the five sections of the contract say
1. Phone hours
Phone off by and back on at, for school nights and weekends.
2. What I agree to
Six starter rules with checkboxes, such as charging the phone outside the bedroom at night, and two blank lines for the teen’s own.
3. What my parents agree to
Explain a new rule before it starts, phones away at family meals, and “If you tell us something went wrong online, your phone stays with you.”
4. If a rule slips, we talk first
First time, second time, after that: lines you fill in ahead. No penalties are printed.
5. Earning more freedom
After this many weeks going well, we try this next.
Why the parents’ side is printed on the page
The top search result argues against phone contracts. On Better Screen Time, Andrea Davis passes on her husband Tyler’s point: “Teens have no buy-in with a contract—just limitations.” She calls contracts outdated rather than bad, and prefers a family tech plan and a pledge the parents write too.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says the same about media plans: “Make sure to create a plan for every member of your family, including yourself.” Three template lines from the top results, next to this sheet:
| Template in the top results | This sheet |
|---|---|
| “I will also tell my parents if I am being harassed by someone via my cell phone.” (Josh Shipp) | The teen tells a parent; the parents promise the phone stays with the teen who tells. |
| “If you do not do so, I/we will take the phone away and you will have to earn it back.” (BFF Youth) | Section 4, agreed before any slip, and section 5, the way to more freedom. |
| “Do not use your phone at mealtimes or while speaking with someone.” (BFF Youth) | No phone at family meals for the teen, and “We put our phones away at family meals too.” |
65% of parents of 13- to 17-year-olds told Pew Research Center they had taken away their teen’s cellphone or internet privileges as punishment (2016 report). The BFF Youth template ends: “You will make mistakes and there will be consequences. We will deal with that together.”
How to fill in this teenage cell phone contract template
The example belongs to Zoe Martinez, 14, and her mom, Ana. They sign on Sept 8, 2026, and set the review for Dec 8.
- Phone hours. Zoe’s phone is off by 9:30 pm on school nights and back on at 7:00 am. The AAP advises putting screens away at least an hour before bedtime and charging devices outside the bedroom overnight.
- Teen rules. Zoe ticks all six and adds Homework first, phone after and I text if my plans change.
- Parent rules. Ana adds We ask before posting photos of you.
- Slip lines, written while nobody is upset. First time, they talk it over with no changes; second time, the phone charges in the kitchen at 8:30 for three nights; after that, they rewrite the contract together.
- Next freedom. After 6 good weeks, the school-night cutoff moves to 10:00 pm, before the review date.
For review dates, the AAP suggests the start of a school year or a summer or holiday break.
The filled-in example.
Two companion sheets for the same talk
Family phone rules the kids referee
Phone Rules for Parents lists six rules for the grown-ups, such as Whoever is driving doesn’t touch the phone. The kids mark each slip on a weekly grid, and the grown-up picks a make-up, like one extra bedtime story. In the Haddad example, referees aged 9 and 6 caught Dad four times and Mom twice.
Teen Proposal Form
Here the teen writes the request, what they will do in return, and a trial. The parent answers yes, yes with changes, or Not yet with a date to talk again. In the example, Ethan Park, 15, asks to keep his phone until 10:00 pm on school nights and runs a 21-day trial.
The teen’s own rules go on the two lines at the end of section 2.
Download the cell phone contract for teens and both companions
Three sheets, three designs each. Free, with no email and no account.
What to do if your teen won’t sign the phone contract
If you hand over a finished sheet with the teen’s side already filled in, you get an argument about rules the teen never saw. A teen who has not agreed to the terms has little reason to keep them, which is the objection quoted above.
Change the order instead. These steps keep the same one-page contract and use the two companion sheets.
- Let the teen draft first. Hand over the Teen Proposal Form and ask what hours and apps they would propose, and what they would offer in return.
- Fill in your side in front of them. Write the three parent promises while the teen watches, and let them change a word.
- Leave one section open. Section 5, earning more freedom, can be left until the first review, as long as the date is on the sheet.
- Sign a short trial. Two or three weeks is enough to see what breaks. The review date is the point where either side can ask to change a line.
If the teen still refuses, start with only the phone hours and the parents’ promises, and add the rest at the review. These family phone rules work better as a short list a teen has agreed to than a long one they have not.
For the same conversation about games and video, see the screen time chart. For rules that cover the whole home, use house rules.
Questions people ask
What should be in a phone contract with my child?
Phone hours, rules for each side, what happens if a rule slips, how more freedom is earned, and a review date. The AAP suggests screen-free zones such as the dinner table, homework time and before bed.
Should the contract say what happens when a rule is broken?
Yes, written before the first slip, when nobody is angry. Section 4 starts with talking; what else goes there is your family’s call.
Can parents check the phone under this contract?
The sheet has no line for it. The AAP lists parental controls among its media plan tips; if you use them, write that on the parents’ blank line so the teen knows before signing.
Does it work as a cell phone agreement for tweens?
Yes. Nothing on the sheet names an age, so a tween with a first phone can use it as is; tick only the rules that fit and add your own.
Is this a printable behavior contract?
A narrower one, about the phone only. For everyday behavior with younger kids, see our behavior chart or reward chart.
Is there an A4 version, and can I type into it?
Yes: every sheet comes in US Letter and A4, with a fillable PDF.
Other free printable sheets
Save this phone contract to Pinterest
Pin it before the new phone arrives, so the rules get written while nobody is upset. The parents sign their own side of it too.
One line of the contract, as a pact
In Alpacto, a parent and a teen aged 13 or over can turn a line of this sheet into a pact that lives on both phones. Phone hours become a routine with check-ins and a streak; six good weeks become a challenge with a reward you choose together.