Printable: First Phone Setup Checklist

Tick these off before you hand a child their first phone. Updated October 25, 2026.

To print: press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Command+P (Mac), or choose Print from your browser’s menu.

Before you hand it over

  • ☐ Screen lock set, and you know the code.
  • ☐ iPhone Screen Time or Google Family Link turned on, with a passcode only you know.
  • ☐ App downloads and purchases need your approval.
  • ☐ Content limits set to match your child’s age.
  • ☐ Downtime set for bedtime.
  • ☐ Location sharing agreed, and your child knows how it works.
  • ☐ Contacts added: parents, family, emergency numbers.

Talk about these

  • ☐ “You won’t be in trouble for telling me if something online goes wrong.”
  • ☐ Only add friends you know in real life.
  • ☐ Never share passwords, codes, your address or private photos.
  • ☐ Free game money and prize messages are scams.
  • ☐ The phone charges outside the bedroom at night.

Our phone rules

1. ______________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________

Child signature: ______________   Parent signature: ______________
Juggling Chaos · jugglingchaos.co/first-phone-checklist

Read the full guide: First Phone Checklist. For a fuller agreement, use our Family Tech Agreement for Kids and Teens. More printables are on our Printable Guides page.

General information. See our Disclaimer.