Is there a screen time contract template for a 12-year-old I can print?

Yes. Parents often call it a contract. Kairoo's free Family Digital Agreement (kairoo.family/agreement.html) is the same thing: two A4 pages you fill in with your child, sign together and print. Childnet's family agreement, from the UK Safer Internet Centre, is free too and shorter.

What time should a 12-year-old's phone go off on a school night?

There is no official UK time. The UK Chief Medical Officers advised in 2019 that phones stay outside the bedroom at bedtime. Let your child suggest a time, then agree it together. Ofcom's 2026 research found 56% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a smartphone have rules about using it at bedtime.

Can my 12-year-old have WhatsApp?

WhatsApp's UK terms of service say users must be at least 13. The UK Chief Medical Officers supported 13 as the age for social media in 2019. At 12, ordinary texts and a family group run from a parent's phone cover most needs until the birthday.

Should my 12-year-old help write the rules?

Yes. A 2008 review of self-determination research in Canadian Psychology (Joussemet, Landry and Koestner) looked at parents who explain reasons and offer real choices. Their children were more likely to take rules on as their own. A 12-year-old can suggest the school-night time and make their case.

What should happen if my 12-year-old breaks the agreement?

Talk first, then check whether the rule was clear, then change one thing. Keep the promise that telling you about a problem online never costs the phone. Ofcom's 2026 research found 83% of children who go online say they would tell a family member if they saw something worrying.

Guides · How to

What should a screen time contract for a 12-year-old include?

Year 7 has started. Most of the class has a phone, the group chats never stop, and your child is out on their own more than ever. You want the rules written down before the arguments start.

Written by the Kairoo team · Published 26 October 2026 · Updated 26 October 2026 · 8 min read

A girl in a school jumper writing on a notepad at the kitchen table while her dad sits beside her and listens

Key fact

94%

of UK secondary school children have their own mobile phone

Source: Ofcom, 2026

In short

One signed page: when the phone stops, where it sleeps, what comes first, how new apps arrive, and that telling you never costs the phone.

At 12, most children are in their first year of secondary school and most have a phone. Ofcom's 2026 research found phone ownership rises from 56% of 10-year-olds to 83% of 11-year-olds. Among secondary school children it is 94%. A screen time agreement for this age is short and written together. It says when the phone stops on school nights, where it charges overnight, what comes first and how new apps are agreed. It covers group chats and being kind online. It promises your child won't lose the phone for telling you something went wrong. WhatsApp's UK terms set 13 as the minimum age, so at 12 that app belongs in the "not yet" column. Set a review date about four weeks out.

Key facts

Phone ownership rises from 56% of 10-year-olds to 83% of 11-year-olds, and 94% of secondary school children have one (Ofcom, 2026).
WhatsApp's UK terms set the minimum age at 13 (WhatsApp terms of service, August 2026).
Leave phones outside the bedroom at bedtime (UK Chief Medical Officers, 2019).

Parents often call it a screen time contract. Kairoo calls it an agreement, because you write it together and both sign it. At 12 it has a lot to cover. The phone is new or nearly new. The class group chat starts in September. Your child walks home alone, stays at friends' houses and wants a say. Rules made up on the spot at 9pm feel unfair to a 12-year-old, and they say so. One page, agreed in a calm moment, saves a lot of those evenings.

What changes for a 12-year-old?

Nearly everyone in the class has a phone now. Ofcom's 2026 research found phone ownership rises sharply at the move to secondary school. It goes from 56% of 10-year-olds to 83% of 11-year-olds. Among secondary school children it is 94%. Almost all of those phones (96%) are smartphones.

The apps change too. In Ofcom's survey, 58% of 8 to 14-year-olds had used WhatsApp in the past four weeks. Group chats arrive with the new school, often before the child is old enough for the app.

Most families already have some rules. Ofcom found 81% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a smartphone have rules about when they can use it at home. The most common are mealtimes (57%) and bedtime (56%). What a 12-year-old usually lacks is the rules written down in one place, with their name on it.

What should a screen time agreement for a 12-year-old include?

Eight things, each in a line or two.

When screens stop on school nights and at weekends.
Where the phone sleeps. The UK Chief Medical Officers advised in 2019 that phones stay outside the bedroom at bedtime.
What comes first, such as homework, reading or jobs at home.
Which apps are allowed now, which wait, and how a new app gets agreed.
How to ask for more time, with a reason and a limit on how much.
Group chats and being kind online: muting, leaving, and what never gets sent.
If something goes wrong: your child tells you, and won't lose the phone for telling.
A review date, so the agreement grows as they do.

What does an example agreement for a 12-year-old look like?

Screens stop at 8:30pm on school nights and 9:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
At night the phone charges in the kitchen from 9pm until breakfast.
First things: homework and some reading come before games and videos.
Apps now: messages and calls to family, YouTube, two games we chose together.
Not yet: WhatsApp and social media. We set up WhatsApp together at 13.
New apps and games come to a grown-up first, with a reason.
Asking for more: I can ask for more time once a day, with a reason. Up to 15 minutes.
Group chats: I can mute or leave any group. I don't add people I haven't met.
Online: private things stay private. I only send what I'd say to someone's face. I don't buy anything without asking.
If something goes wrong, I tell a grown-up straight away, and I won't lose the phone for telling. Childline (0800 1111) is free too.
The grown-ups promise a warning before time is up, a reason for every no, and no checking the phone in secret.
Review: in four weeks, then every half-term.

How do I write it with a 12-year-old?

Let them go first on the parts they care about. Ask what they think a fair school-night time is. Many 12-year-olds suggest something close to your own answer.

There is research behind this. A 2008 review of self-determination studies (Joussemet, Landry and Koestner, Canadian Psychology) looked at parents who explain reasons and offer real choices within limits. Their children were more likely to take the rules on as their own.

Pick a calm time, such as a weekend afternoon.
Explain your reasons where you hold a firm line, such as sleep and safety.
Keep it to one page. Long lists get forgotten.
Both sign it, and put it where you will both see it.

WhatsApp's UK terms say users must be at least 13. Most social media platforms set 13 too. The UK Chief Medical Officers supported that age in their 2019 advice.

The government also plans a ban on social media for under-16s from spring 2027. Its fact sheet says messaging services like WhatsApp will not be included. Read more about the WhatsApp age limit and the under-16 social media ban.

Many parents are unsure of the rules. Ofcom found only 32% correctly name 13 as the minimum age for most social media. Writing the age into the agreement settles it once. It also gives your child a date to look forward to.

What if the agreement keeps getting broken?

Treat a broken rule as information. Look at when it went wrong. Was the time too early? Was the rule unclear? Change one thing and try again.

Keep one promise fixed. If something online worries, scares or embarrasses your child, telling you never costs them the phone. Children do tell. Ofcom found 81% of children who saw something worrying online in the past month told someone.

Get more help if your child seems withdrawn, anxious or very different. The Chief Medical Officers noted that a change in behaviour can be a sign a child is distressed. Talk to their school or your GP. Childline is free on 0800 1111.

You don't need a perfect agreement. You need one page you both signed, and a date to look at it again. The Family Digital Agreement takes about ten minutes. You can print it on two A4 pages and stick it on the fridge.

Kairoo

Your agreement, on both your phones.

Write it together in about ten minutes and both sign it. Kairoo gives the heads-up before time is up and a reason for every no. Your child can ask for more with a reason.

Your phone and your child’s don’t have to match. Kairoo works between iPhone and Android, and your child’s app is also available on iPad.

Or start with the free agreement · Free, no card needed.

Questions parents ask

Is there a screen time contract template for a 12-year-old I can print?: Yes. Parents often call it a contract. Kairoo's free Family Digital Agreement (kairoo.family/agreement.html) is the same thing: two A4 pages you fill in with your child, sign together and print. Childnet's family agreement, from the UK Safer Internet Centre, is free too and shorter.
What time should a 12-year-old's phone go off on a school night?: There is no official UK time. The UK Chief Medical Officers advised in 2019 that phones stay outside the bedroom at bedtime. Let your child suggest a time, then agree it together. Ofcom's 2026 research found 56% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a smartphone have rules about using it at bedtime.
Can my 12-year-old have WhatsApp?: WhatsApp's UK terms of service say users must be at least 13. The UK Chief Medical Officers supported 13 as the age for social media in 2019. At 12, ordinary texts and a family group run from a parent's phone cover most needs until the birthday.
Should my 12-year-old help write the rules?: Yes. A 2008 review of self-determination research in Canadian Psychology (Joussemet, Landry and Koestner) looked at parents who explain reasons and offer real choices. Their children were more likely to take rules on as their own. A 12-year-old can suggest the school-night time and make their case.
What should happen if my 12-year-old breaks the agreement?: Talk first, then check whether the rule was clear, then change one thing. Keep the promise that telling you about a problem online never costs the phone. Ofcom's 2026 research found 83% of children who go online say they would tell a family member if they saw something worrying.

Sources

Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2026, Ofcom, 21 May 2026
UK CMO commentary on screen time and social media map of reviews (includes the advice for parents and carers), UK Chief Medical Officers, Department of Health and Social Care, 7 February 2019
WhatsApp Terms of Service (UK), WhatsApp, effective 17 August 2026
Fact sheet: new rules to protect children online, GOV.UK, updated 18 September 2026
A self-determination theory perspective on parenting, Joussemet, Landry and Koestner, Canadian Psychology 49(3), pages 194 to 200, 2008
Childnet's Family Agreement, UK Safer Internet Centre (Childnet), checked 26 October 2026
Childline, NSPCC, checked 26 October 2026

Last reviewed 26 October 2026. Kairoo checks these pages when the rules or the research change; if you spot something out of date, tell us at hello@kairoo.family.