Screen time setup checklist: one page to print and tick off

This is a one-page checklist for setting up screen time limits across a family's devices. Print it, go through it on one evening, and tick each box as you finish. Then check the weekly items every Sunday. The full steps for each device are in the screen time limits guide.

Tick the boxes in order. Each section depends on the one above it: you can't set app limits until you know which devices and accounts your child uses, and you can't test the rules until you've set them.

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Screen time setup checklist

Part 1: Before you start (15 minutes)

• [ ] I've written three to five goals (time, content, people, money, places).
• [ ] I've listed every device my child uses: phone, tablet, laptop, console, TV, speaker, school device.
• [ ] I've listed every account they sign in to: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Roblox, YouTube, Netflix, games.
• [ ] I've chosen the layer to set first: usually the device they use most.

Part 2: Device settings (one evening)

Tick each device as you finish it.

• [ ] Apple: Screen Time on, Family Sharing on, Downtime set, App Limits set, Content & Privacy set, Ask to Buy on, Screen Time passcode set.
• [ ] Android or Chromebook: Family Link on, Bedtime set, Daily limit set, app approval on, Google Play approval on, content filters set.
• [ ] Windows PC or Xbox: Microsoft Family Safety on, screen-time limit set, web filter on, purchase approval on, spending limit set.
• [ ] PlayStation: Family Management on, playtime limit set, spending limit set, chat restricted.
• [ ] Nintendo Switch: Parental Controls app installed, daily limit set, bedtime alarm set, game ratings set.
• [ ] Amazon Fire or Echo: kids profile set, time limit set, bedtime set, voice purchasing off.
• [ ] TV and streaming: Netflix kids profile and PIN set, YouTube supervised or Restricted Mode on, purchase restrictions set.
• [ ] Apps with chat or friends (Roblox, Instagram, TikTok, Discord, Snapchat): teen or family settings on, contacts set to approved people.

Part 3: Home network (15 minutes)

• [ ] Router app: device pause or schedule set for each child's devices.
• [ ] DNS filter (optional): profile created, adult categories blocked, schedule set.
• [ ] I've noted that cellular data goes around home rules, and the device settings cover that.

Part 4: Locks and passcodes (10 minutes)

• [ ] Each layer has its own passcode, and none of them is the child's birthday or a simple code.
• [ ] Passcodes are stored in a password manager, not on the device.
• [ ] No adult account is signed in on a child's device.
• [ ] Settings checked after the last system update.

Part 5: The schedule (10 minutes)

• [ ] School-day downtime set (before school, bedtime).
• [ ] Weekend total set, with device-free meals and outings.
• [ ] Devices charge outside the bedroom at night.
• [ ] Schedule written on the family agreement, or put where everyone can see it.

Part 6: Test it (10 minutes)

• [ ] Tried a blocked app from the child's device. It stopped, as expected.
• [ ] Tried a purchase. It asked for approval.
• [ ] Checked the downtime. The screen locked on time.
• [ ] Checked that the child can still call the people on the approved list.

Part 7: Weekly check (Sunday, 10 minutes)

• [ ] Looked at the screen-time report and named one thing that went well.
• [ ] Made one small change, if needed.
• [ ] Checked for new apps, new contacts, and any new purchases or subscriptions.
• [ ] Asked, "Is anything on screens bothering you?"

Part 8: Monthly and every few months

• [ ] Reviewed subscriptions and in-game spending.
• [ ] Reviewed the family agreement and the age limits. A new year, a new school, or a birthday means a review.

Notes

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How to use it

Print one copy for the fridge and keep the notes section filled in. Tick Parts 1 to 6 on the setup evening. After that, you only need Part 7 every week, and Part 8 every few months. If a box won't tick because a setting isn't there, check the device's own help page: menus move with each update, and the names above are a guide, not a promise.

If you use more than one child, make a copy per child. Each child has different devices, accounts and ages, so each needs their own list.

Peabody

Peabody is a reading and learning app with games and a library of stories. Its games are free through the end of 2026, with no sign-up. Add Peabody to the list in Part 2 like any other app, and count its minutes in the same schedule.

Sources

• American Academy of Pediatrics, media and young minds guidance (2016), and its Family Media Plan tool.
• Official help pages for the devices and apps listed above. Check them before you set anything up.

Settings change. Treat this checklist as the order to work in, and the device help pages as the final word on the names.