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How to make a family tech plan: map your household's devices and apps on one sheet

A one-sheet template to map every device and app in your home, tick off account, content, contact, spending and time, and agree house rules together.

✅
Verified: Last checked on Monday 5 October 2026 against Internet Matters' screen time advice and Family Agreement guidance, the NSPCC's "Talking to your child about online safety", GOV.UK's screen time guidance for under-5s (26 March 2026), GOV.UK's announcement on screen use guidance for 5–16s (8 June 2026) and GOV.UK's under-16 social media ban announcement (15 June 2026). Platform details link out to the matching DeviceDaddy guides, each with its own ✅ stamp.

Note: this is a planning template, not a menu-by-menu guide. We checked the UK guidance against the sources' current written pages. The device steps live in the individual DeviceDaddy guides, which we checked against official written instructions but haven't all device-tested for this edition.

⏱ Time to complete: about 30–45 minutes for the first version (then 10 minutes each term)
🔧 Difficulty: Easy. No settings menus. Just a pen, a cup of tea and (ideally) your children.

The short version (for very busy parents)

  1. List every screen in the house (phones, tablets, consoles, laptops, smart TVs, Steam Decks…) and who uses each one.
  2. List the main apps and games each child uses.
  3. For each one, tick off the four basics: account, content, contact, spending (plus time).
  4. Link each item to the DeviceDaddy guide that sets it up, and do the most important ones first.
  5. Agree the house rules together and put the sheet on the fridge. Review it every school term and on birthdays.

What you'll need

  • This page printed out, or a copy of the template below in a notes app or spreadsheet.
  • Your children's devices to hand, so you can check which apps they really use.
  • Your own passwords for Apple / Google / Microsoft / PlayStation / Nintendo / Steam family accounts.
  • 30–45 minutes, with the children for at least part of it.

Step-by-step

Step 1: Map every screen in the house

Walk round the house (don't forget the car, grandparents' house and old devices in drawers). Fill in one row per device.

Device Who uses it Where it lives Whose account is on it? Family controls set? DeviceDaddy guide
e.g. iPad Sam (9) Living room Sam's Child Account ☐ iPhone & iPad Screen Time
e.g. Android phone Ellie (13) Her bedroom (charges in kitchen at night) Ellie's supervised Google Account ☐ Android Family Link
e.g. PS5 Both Living room Each child's PSN account ☐ PlayStation 5 Family Management
e.g. Steam Deck Ellie Anywhere Ellie's Steam account ☐ Steam & Steam Deck
☐

[Screenshot: a filled-in example device map on a fridge]

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Tip: The single most important column is "Whose account is on it?" Almost every parental control follows the child's own account. If a child is signed in as you, none of the controls apply.

Step 2: List the apps and games each child uses

Ask each child to show you their home screen and recently played games. Note the ones they use most.

App or game Child Age rating / minimum age Chat with strangers possible? Real-money spending? DeviceDaddy guide
e.g. Roblox Sam Varies by experience Yes — limit in settings Robux Roblox parental controls
e.g. Fortnite Sam PEGI 12 Yes V-Bucks Fortnite parental controls
e.g. TikTok Ellie 13+ Yes Coins/gifts TikTok Family Pairing
⚠️
Check the age first. Call of Duty, Warzone and GTA Online are PEGI 18. Most social media apps have a minimum age of 13. The government announced on 15 June 2026 that social media platforms will be banned from offering accounts to under-16s, expected to come into force in spring 2027 — it isn't law yet, but it's worth planning for.

💡 Ratings aren't the whole story. Apple says even 4+ apps can include chat and user-generated content. See our App Store & Google Play age ratings guide.

Step 3: Tick the four basics for each device and app

For every row in Steps 1 and 2, check:

  • ☐ Account — the child has their own account, linked to your parent/family account, with a correct date of birth.
  • ☐ Content — an age rating filter is set (PEGI, App Store or Play rating).
  • ☐ Contact — chat, friend requests and voice are limited (Friends only or Off for younger children).
  • ☐ Spending — purchases need your approval, or the limit is £0, and your card isn't saved on their account.
  • ☐ Time — a daily limit or schedule is set, if you've agreed one (see Step 5).

Where to set it — DeviceDaddy guides:

Area Guide
📱 iPhone / iPad iPhone & iPad Screen Time — [link to add]
📱 Android Android & Google Family Link — [link to add]
🛒 App stores App Store & Google Play age ratings — [link to add]
🎮 PlayStation PlayStation 5 Family Management — [link to add]
🎮 Xbox / Windows Xbox Family Settings — [link to add]
🎮 Nintendo Nintendo Switch & Switch 2 parental controls — [link to add]
🎮 PC / Steam Deck Steam & Steam Deck parental controls — [link to add]
🎮 Games Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft family multiplayer, Call of Duty & Warzone, GTA Online — [links to add]
💬 Social & messaging TikTok Family Pairing, Snapchat Family Centre, Instagram supervision, WhatsApp privacy settings — [links to add]
📺 TV & streaming YouTube supervised accounts, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video — [links to add]

Step 4: Pick your top three to do this week

You don't have to do everything tonight. Start with whatever has:

  1. Contact with strangers (online games with voice chat, social apps).
  2. A saved payment card.
  3. The youngest child.

Write them here:

Step 5: Agree the house rules together

Internet Matters suggests creating a Family Agreement with your child and the whole household that sets out when, where and for how long everyone uses devices — including adults and older siblings. The NSPCC says involving children in setting boundaries helps them feel heard and makes them more likely to stick to the rules.

Our house rules (fill in together):

  • 🕗 When: Screens off at __ on school nights, ____ at weekends.
  • 🏠 Where: Devices are used in __. Phones charge overnight in ____ (Internet Matters suggests the kitchen).
  • ⏱ How long: __ on school days, ____ at weekends. (For 2–5-year-olds, government guidance is no more than one hour a day, avoiding mealtimes and the hour before bed.)
  • 🍽 Screen-free times: meals, __, ____.
  • 💷 Spending: ______ a month, always with a grown-up's OK.
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Who we talk to: only people we know in real life, unless ______.
  • 🆘 If something goes wrong: tell ______. You won't be in trouble for telling us.
  • 👀 Grown-ups promise to: ______ (for example: phones away at dinner too).
💡
Tip: Parent Zone advises not using screen bans as a punishment, because it turns conversations into conflict. The NSPCC adds that young people often say banning technology altogether feels like a punishment. Keep consequences separate from safety, so children still come to you when something goes wrong.

Step 6: Put it somewhere visible and set review dates

  • Stick the sheet on the fridge or pin it in the family chat.
  • Review dates: start of each school term, each child's birthday, and whenever a new device or game arrives.
Review date Who was there What changed

Keep it working

  • New device = new row. Christmas and birthdays are when plans fall apart. Set up controls before wrapping a new console or phone.
  • Second accounts: if a child makes a new account (on a friend's console, say), none of your controls follow it. Ask about it calmly.
  • Loosen as they grow. Plan steps they can earn ("at 12 you can have friends-only voice chat"). The government's Kids Online Safety site notes this gives children a goal to work towards.
  • Watch for government updates. GOV.UK said in June 2026 that guidance on screen use for 5–16-year-olds will be published this autumn. We'll update this sheet when it's out.
  • Worried about contact from someone? Report it to CEOP (ceop.police.uk). Adults can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000. Children can call Childline on 0800 1111.

Related guides (links to follow)

  • 💬 How to talk to your child about screens — [link to add]
  • 📱 iPhone & iPad Screen Time — [link to add]
  • 📱 Android & Google Family Link — [link to add]
  • 🛒 App Store & Google Play age ratings — [link to add]
🔁
Spotted a change? Tell us. If something here is out of date, [report a change: add DeviceDaddy contact form or email link here]. The ✅ stamp shows when we last checked.

Sources (checked 5 October 2026)

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