Your Child's First Phone – A Practical Guide for Parents

A first phone is a big step for a child and a lot of questions for parents. Is my child ready? Which rules should we set? How do I keep them safe without losing their trust?

This illustrated guide gives you clear, practical answers without scare tactics. It was put together by a computer science teacher with many years of classroom experience who talks with children about phones and the internet every day.

Inside the guide:

• how to tell whether your child is ready for a first phone (age alone doesn't decide it),
• how to create a family agreement together that your child will actually follow,
• free parental controls step by step for Android and iPhone,
• what matters more than the number of minutes when it comes to screen time,
• social media and age limits, games, in-app purchases and loot boxes,
• how to talk about online risks so your child comes to you when something goes wrong,
• a checklist before handing over the phone and a family agreement template to print and sign.

What you get (ZIP):

• the illustrated guide as a PDF (clickable table of contents),
• the same text in Word, so you can adapt the agreement to your family,
• a parent workbook: checklists, real-life scenarios, your own house rules and conversation starters,
• an interactive quiz and flashcards that run in your browser and can read aloud,
• a slide presentation (17 slides), e.g. for a parents' evening or talk.

For parents of children aged 6–14. Licensed for one household.

Text and illustrations were created with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the author.