Give your child a first phone with a calm, written family plan
For parents and carers of 8 to 14 year olds in Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland: a 21-sheet workbook, five fillable forms, a family agreement in three age versions and a step-by-step e-book that follows one Melbourne family from 'everyone has one' to their first three-month review.
- A 21-sheet workbook: 0-4 readiness self-assessment with a ranked gap plan, phone options scorecard, apps register, weekly log, incident log and a dashboard with six charts
- A family media agreement in three age versions, a decision memo with the child's view, and a fridge poster and charging-station sign
- Five fillable forms: readiness check, device setup checklist, app and game request, something-went-wrong record and the three-month review
- 40 messages and scripts, 28 AI prompts with parent safety rules, a 45-minute family briefing and a 14-question knowledge check
Kids' First Phone and Family Screen-Time Plan · Bodhih Pro Kits · 338 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
When should a child get their first phone?
When the reason, the child and the family are ready, not on a set birthday. Write down why the child needs a device, check readiness, choose a device for that job, agree written rules together, set it up first and review every three months. Legal social media ages still apply. Bodhih Training's Kids' First Phone kit has the files for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read When should a child get a first phone? A calm family plan.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
'Everyone else has one'
Your child is asking every week and you cannot tell whether they are ready or just under pressure. A birthday is not an answer.
Two adults, two opinions
One parent thinks now, one thinks thirteen, a grandparent thinks never. You need a way to decide once, on paper.
The rules change every month
Australia, the UK, the EU, Canada and New Zealand have all moved on social media ages, and US states differ. You want the position in one dated place.
Bedtime battles
The phone ends up in the bedroom, sleep slips and every evening turns into a negotiation. You want a rule that holds without nightly policing.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine a Sunday in three months' time. You open the Dashboard with your child and read it together: the phone parked outside the bedroom on most nights, the rules that are working, the one that is wobbly, and the stage you are moving to next.
As you sign version 2 of the agreement, notice what is missing: the nightly argument. The rules were settled at the kitchen table, on paper, with everyone there, and the fridge poster says what everyone agreed.
When something does go wrong, and something will, take the If Something Goes Wrong card off the fridge and follow the four moves with your child, calmly, knowing who to report to in your country.
Whether you start with the Readiness Check tonight or the cost calculator tomorrow, the Start-here map shows which file to open next.
23 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
Kids' First Phone and Family Screen-Time Plan (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: first phone family map
The job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan, the 'Brand it in five minutes' box and what is in the kit.
First Phone Family Plan Workbook
21-sheet workbook: Settings, 0-4 readiness self-assessment with a ranked gap-to-action plan, phone options scorecard, setup checklist, apps register with review checks, weekly log with parking traffic lights, agreement tracker, decision log, incident log, three-month reviews, RACI, 18-week roadmap, rules-by-country crosswalk, official sources, UK/US glossary, What changed log and a dashboard with six charts.
First Phone Cost and Options Calculator
Five-sheet calculator: your estimates, four devices over 24 months with low, expected and high cases, parent hours, the cost of 'no plan', and a dashboard with four charts.
First phone readiness check
Four-page fillable check: the reason for the device, the child's readiness, the family's readiness and a child page to do together, ending with the handover date and the top gaps.
Device setup checklist
Three-page fillable checklist for the setup evening: sixteen settings for Apple and Android described generally, a record of passcodes kept safe, the first approved apps and a re-check log for after updates.
App and game request form
Two-page fillable request your child completes before asking for a new app or game: what it is, the three age checks, who can contact them, costs and features, and the parents' decision with conditions and a review date.
Something went wrong record
Three-page fillable record: the four moves (stop, save, support, report) as a checklist, what happened and when, the evidence kept, who you reported to with reference numbers, and the follow-up and setting changes.
Three-month family review
Three-page fillable review for a 45-minute family meeting: look back at the dashboard numbers, rule-by-rule status, the re-score, the stage decision for the next three months and signatures for version 2.
Family media agreement template
Brand-ready family media agreement in three age versions (8 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14) with shared sections on where the phone lives, when something goes wrong and reviews, the adults' promises and a one-page version for grandparents and carers.
Family decision memo and sign-off
Brand-ready one-page decision memo for the adults, a page for the child's view in their own words, a pre-handover sign-off checklist, a review sign-off table and the sample family's completed memo.
Family message library
40 brand-ready messages and scripts in seven groups: to your child, co-parents and grandparents, other parents, the school, platforms and official services, words for your child, and check-ins and reviews.
Worked example pack: Emma and Leo
The kit's main files completed for one composite Melbourne family: readiness scores, the ranked gap plan, the device scorecard and 24-month costs, agreement version 1, setup and apps, twelve weeks of the weekly log, the incident log and the first three-month review.
AI prompt pack for the family screen-time plan
28 prompts with placeholders grouped by step (decide, choose, agree, set up, routines, rules, talk, something wrong, review), each with what to paste in, what to check, and five human-review rules for parents.
Family and parent-group briefing plan with answer key
A 45-minute session plan for a family meeting, parent group or school parents' evening, facilitator notes, LMS import notes, the printable answer key for the 14-question knowledge check and an attendance sheet.
First phone knowledge check (LMS-ready)
14 scenario questions with four options, the correct letter and an explanation; imports into Bodhih LMS or any LMS that accepts CSV quizzes.
Numbers that matter: family plan KPI card
14 numbers with plain-words definition, formula, where each lives and what to do when it moves, published sleep and screen-time ranges with sources, and a weekly-rhythm mini-infographic.
Decision card and mistakes to avoid
Twelve 'if this, do that' decisions with the file to open, the path in one line and fifteen mistakes with what to do instead.
If something goes wrong card
Fridge card: emergency numbers, stop-save-support-report, where to report by problem in six countries, five things to say to a child facing sextortion, and what to do afterwards.
Kids' online rules by country (November 2026)
Dated sheet: social media minimum ages and status in Australia, the UK, the EU, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, plus school phone rules, app-store ratings, COPPA, app-store laws, image-removal services and a timeline.
First phone plan calendar
27 calendar events: five weekly preparation slots, handover day, twelve Sunday check-ins, the back-to-school check, four quarterly rules checks and four three-month reviews.
First phone task board (CSV import)
22 tasks with phase, owner, start and due week, labels and the kit file to use; imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or a shared family list.
Family print pack
Four colour pages to print: a fridge agreement poster with blank lines, a charging-station sign, and two pages of 'what if' conversation cards to cut out (16 cards).
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + ICS + CSV + print pack
- Files
- 23 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 70 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, Word, Google Docs, Pages, Acrobat Reader, any calendar app
- Best for
- Parents and carers of 8 to 14 year olds
- Countries covered
- Australia, UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and the EU (dated sheet)
Readiness, not birthdays
Why age is the wrong question, three kinds of readiness and the 0-4 self-assessment with a ranked gap plan.
Choosing the first device
Basic phone, smartwatch or smartphone: a weighted scorecard and the true 24-month cost.
The family media agreement
A one-page agreement written together, the telling-is-safe promise and consequences that teach.
Setting up the phone and the accounts
Child accounts, schedules, contacts, purchases, filters, location and what app-store ratings do and do not mean.
Sleep, school and the shape of the day
Protecting sleep with a charging station, school-day rules and a three-minute weekly log.
Social media, group chats and gaming: the rules by country
Minimum ages by country, group chats and gaming: the law as the floor, your agreement as the rest.
Safety conversations by age
Short, frequent conversations by age and warning signs of unsafe contact at pattern level.
When something goes wrong
Stop, save, support, report: matching each problem to the right help, and the record afterwards.
Review every three months and loosen the rules on purpose
The three-month review, stages instead of a cliff edge, and the family dashboard.
Emma and Leo, three months on
The sample family's numbers at the first review, and how the kit stays current.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- Start here: first phone family map (the job in ten steps, your first hour, first week and 30/60/90 days)
Workbooks
- First Phone Family Plan Workbook (21 sheets): settings, readiness self-assessment, levels, area summary, gap plan, phone options, setup checklist, apps register, weekly log, agreement tracker, decision log, incident log, reviews, RACI, roadmap, crosswalk, sources, glossary, What changed and dashboard
- First Phone Cost and Options Calculator: four devices over 24 months with low, expected and high cases, parent hours and the cost of 'no plan'
Forms
- First phone readiness check
- Device setup checklist
- App and game request form
- Something went wrong record
- Three-month family review
Word templates
- Family media agreement template (ages 8 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14, plus a grandparents' version)
- Family decision memo and sign-off
- Family message library (40 messages and scripts)
- Worked example pack: Emma and Leo
- AI prompt pack (28 prompts)
- Family and parent-group briefing plan with answer key
Cheat sheets
- Numbers that matter: family plan KPI card
- Decision card and mistakes to avoid
- If something goes wrong card
- Kids' online rules by country (November 2026)
Print pack
- Fridge agreement poster, charging-station sign and 16 'what if' conversation cards
Calendar, import and LMS
- First phone plan calendar (ICS, 27 events)
- First phone task board (CSV)
- First phone knowledge check (LMS-ready CSV, 14 questions)
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to decide when and how to give a first phone, with your reasons on paper
- You will be able to compare a basic phone, a smartwatch and a smartphone on what matters to your family and on 24-month cost
- You will be able to write a one-page family agreement with your child that includes the telling-is-safe promise
- You will be able to set up family controls on Apple or Android before handover
- You will be able to protect sleep with a charging station and a parking time
- You will be able to explain the social media age rules in your country and where to check them
- You will be able to respond calmly when something goes wrong, and know where to report
- You will be able to run a three-month review and loosen the rules on purpose
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Digital Parenting & Online Safety Judgment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentMisinformation & Media Literacy
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentWorkplace Cybersecurity Awareness Assessment for Annual Recertification of All Staff
Take the assessment →JobularyUse the fresh-start effect to reset a goal (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 3
A family media agreement is a one-page list of how the phone is used in your house. It is not a contract, and it is not legally anything. It is useful because it settles the common arguments in advance, in a calm moment, with everyone present. When the argument comes up again at 9 pm, nobody has to win it: you both look at the fridge. Agreements work best when they are short, specific, positive where possible, and written partly in the child's own words. They work badly when they are long lists of bans that only apply to the child.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| How you decide | A suggested age, or a list of reasons to wait | A 0-4 readiness self-assessment for the child and the family with a ranked gap plan |
| Choosing the device | Product round-ups | A weighted scorecard plus a 24-month cost calculator with low, expected and high cases |
| The rules | A generic phone contract written for a 16-year-old | An agreement in three age versions, a decision memo with the child's view and a review cycle |
| Country rules | US-only or out of date | A dated November 2026 sheet and crosswalk for Australia, the UK, the EU, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland with official links |
| When something goes wrong | Scary stories | Stop, save, support, report, with where to go by problem and country, and a record form |
| Versus a parenting course or a monitoring app | A course gives ideas once; an app watches the phone | Files you keep and reuse every three months, built on open rules your child helps write |
Made for you if…
- Parents and carers of 8 to 14 year olds whose child is asking for a first phone or smartwatch
- Families moving from a basic phone or a watch to a first smartphone
- Co-parents in two households who want the same rules in both
- Parents in Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland who want the new age rules explained calmly
- Grandparents and carers who look after children with phones
- Parent groups and school parents' evenings that want a shared, evidence-based starting point (within the licence)
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for legal, medical or psychological advice: talk to your GP, school or a qualified professional
- Families who want a monitoring or spy app: this kit is about open rules, not secret tracking
- Schools wanting a whole-school device policy: this is a family kit
- Help with AI chatbots in depth: see the Kids' AI and Digital Literacy Kit
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Decide once, together, and review on a timetable
Open the Start-here map tonight and write the reason for the phone in one sentence. Whether you then score the readiness check or price the devices first, you will be working from a plan rather than a panic.
Personal licence for the buyer's own family and household. Please don't share or resell the files. Parent-group, school and organisation licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
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Kids' First Phone and Family Screen-Time Plan: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat age should a child get their first phone?
There is no single right age. The kit helps you check three kinds of readiness (the reason, the child and the family) and choose a device for the job. Legal minimum ages for social media still apply, and the dated sheet lists them by country.
Is a basic phone or a smartwatch better than a smartphone for a first phone?
It depends on the job. A basic phone does 'call me from the bus' well and cheaply; a smartwatch suits younger children; a smartphone set up with limits can grow by stages. The scorecard and the 24-month cost calculator show the trade-offs for your family.
Can my child have social media if they are under 16?
That depends on where you live. Australia has a legal minimum age of 16 for age-restricted platforms, the UK has announced one, and the EU, Canada and New Zealand have proposals. The kit's dated sheet explains the position at November 2026 and links to the official sources to check.
How long does it take to set up the plan?
Most families can do the readiness check, device choice, agreement and setup over four or five weeks, with a weekly 45-minute slot and one setup evening. The calendar and task board pace it for you.
Do I need a monitoring app?
Not for this method. The kit uses the family controls built into Apple and Android phones, explained openly to your child, and a written agreement. It does not cover secret monitoring.
What should I do if my child is being bullied or someone asks them for images?
Stop, save, support, report: no reply or payment, keep screenshots (never a sexual image of a child), reassure your child and report to the platform and the right service. The If Something Goes Wrong card lists services by country. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
Can I use this with my co-parent, grandparents or a parent group?
Yes. Share it within your own family and household under the personal licence, and use the briefing plan with co-parents, grandparents or carers. For a parent group, school or organisation, ask about licences at solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method works anywhere. The dated sheet and crosswalk cover Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and the EU as at November 2026. Laws change, so check the official sources listed before you rely on any detail.
Is this legal or medical advice?
No. It is educational material for families. The agreement is a household tool, not a legal document. For worries about your child's health, sleep or wellbeing, talk to your GP, the school or a qualified professional.
How can I check my own judgement about online safety?
AssessAll's Digital Parenting & Online Safety Judgment assessment gives you a starting point to compare against. It is separate from this kit and optional.
How do I keep the plan going after the first few months?
Book the three-month reviews from the calendar. Each review is a planned fresh start; Jobulary's guide to using the fresh-start effect to reset a goal explains why that timing helps.
Will the kit be updated when the rules change?
The kit was reviewed in November 2026 and shows you what to check each quarter, with a What changed log in the workbook. We do not promise free updates.
How much does Kids' First Phone and Family Screen-Time Plan cost?
₹599 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $17 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
