Phone rules for 11-year-olds
How to set phone rules for an 11-year-old: what official guidance says at 11, house rules that fit the device, and when to switch off.
Phone rules that work at 11
- Agree the rules in writing before the phone arrives
- Phones charge outside the bedroom overnight
- No phones at meals, for grown-ups too
- You know the passcode and every app on it
- Talk about what they see online, not only how long they spend
At this age: Review the apps together every few months and talk about messages and photos.
What official guidance says
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents (2016): for children 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
- American Academy of Pediatrics: designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, and media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms; the AAP offers a free Family Media Plan to write the family rules down.
Sleep at 11
- Sleep
- 9-12 hours a day
- Asleep by, for a 7am wake-up
- 8:30pm
- Screens off by (an hour before)
- 7:30pm
Sleep: American Academy of Sleep Medicine consensus, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (2016).
House rules for every screen at this age
- An agreed school-day limit, written down where everyone can see it
- Phones and tablets charge outside the bedroom overnight
- No screens at the dinner table, for grown-ups too
- You know every app and game they use, and the age rating fits
- A break every hour for movement or a snack
TaskFamily's suggestions, not official guidance.
TaskFamily turns phone rules into something children can see: extra time earned in your reward shop, focus timers and chat quiet hours.
Free for one household. Premium is $5.99 a month or $49 a year for the whole family, never per child.
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Guidance is quoted only from the named official sources; the device rules are TaskFamily's suggestions, not official guidance. The guide text is drafted with AI from these numbers and checked automatically before it is published.